Michigan DL coach speaks on sleeper in EDGE rotation: 'I think this will be a big year for him'

ANN ARBOR – The Michigan Wolverines‘ defensive line will be the engine on that side of the ball, which is a tradition in Ann Arbor. Senior Derrick Moore and graduate TJ Guy are this year’s tone setters and potential stars on the EDGE, and their position coach has seen strides from both this offseason.

Lou Esposito spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon from Schembechler Hall, throwing more praise their way and how the group has come together through the offseason and first week of fall camp.

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“Those guys have had a great summer,” Esposito told the media. “I think the biggest thing is you talk about the people you surround yourself with. Those guys work in the way they’ve worked with Coach [Pernell McPhee], [Ty Martindale], [David] Denham. They’ve done a great job with those guys in the summer. I think Coach Phee does an unbelievable job with those guys and teaching them how to watch film and be a pro from having so much experience doing it. So it’s been really, really good.

“They’ve had a good camp so far. So we’re excited about them. A lot of good, a lot of good guys in that room. And I think competition breeds success. Iron sharpens iron. And I think what you’re starting to see is you’re starting to see competitive active practices, guys getting after each other, helping each other up, getting after each other again, helping each other up, and there’s a little bit of back and forth, which has been really good.”

Moore and Guy sit atop the depth chart, but Michigan feels it has a “third starter” in junior Cameron Brandt, whom defensive coordinator Wink Martindale singled out as a top performer over the weekend.

“Cam is a guy who could line up and play inside if we needed him,” Esposito said. “He is physically tough. He’s a very underrated athlete. He has an unbelievable knack for getting out of his hips and playing with a square, strong stance, great footwork, and he’s a student of the game. He just wants to get better consistently. He’s always in there watching film. He’s always asking questions. I think this will be a big year for him to really take off. It’ll be fun. He’s like a third starter for us.”