Michigan has found what appears to be a rising star in the profession in 37-year old defensive line coach Shaun Nua.
He was hired on Wednesday to replace the departed Greg Mattison, after spending the 2018 campaign at Arizona State and 2012-17 with the Navy Midshipmen.
To get a better understanding of what Nua all brings to the table in Ann Arbor, we've turned to Tempe, Ariz., to speak with DevilsDigest insider Hod Rabino, who first described how the Sun Devil defensive line performed this past season under the American Samoa native.
“It was a bag of mixed goods," Rabino admitted. "The defense as a whole really improved from 2017, and it definitely wasn’t a case where it improved despite the defensive line — they did their part too.
"It wasn’t necessarily an outstanding unit though — when opponents average 170.5 rushing yards against you, it’s not an indication of a strong defensive line, but linebackers played a part in that too.
"The line did a better job against the pass than it did against the run. Overall, it was an ok job in what was an average 7-6 year for Arizona State.
"Whether the defensive line's play should be attributed to Nua or the talent — or lack thereof — probably goes both ways.”
