Tag: Aymeric Koumba

2025 Spring Football Preview: Defensive Line

RETURNING PLAYERS: Kechaun Bennett (RS Sr.), Rayshaun Benny (RS Sr.), T.J. Guy (RS Sr.), Ike Iwunnah (RS Sr.), Tyler McLaurin (RS Sr.), Derrick Moore (Sr.), Chibi Anwunah (RS Jr.), Joey Klunder (RS Jr.), Alessandro Lorenzetti (RS Jr.), Trey Pierce (Jr.), Enow Etta (RS So.), Aymeric Koumba (RS So.), Devon Baxter (RS Fr.), Edgard Lugopayi (RS Fr.), Dominic Nichols (RS Fr.)
NEWCOMERS: Damon Payne (RS Sr.), Tre Williams (RS Sr.), Julius Holly (Fr.), Travis Moten (Fr.)
DEPARTURES: Mason Graham (NFL Draft), Kenneth Grant (NFL Draft), Josaiah Stewart (NFL Draft)

OUTLOOK: Ahhhhh . . . defensive line. This is the place where Michigan fans can all take a deep breath of the happy, fresh air, where things are all fine and dandy. Michigan has had a long line of quality defensive linemen who have been fun to watch, going back years, including Chase Winovich, Maurice Hurst Jr., Ryan Glasgow, Kwity Paye, etc. More recently, we’ve seen Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, Kenneth Grant, Josaiah Stewart, and Mason Graham star on the defensive line. Last year it was Graham and Grant – both of whom are projected to be 1st rounders – who really held down the middle of the line, stymying Ohio State’s rushing attack and helping Michigan preserve that sweet, sweet, 13-10 victory.

This year Michigan might have to hold its breath a little bit.

With Graham and Grant off to the NFL, Michigan has to hope someone will develop at defensive tackle who doesn’t have a great track record yet. Rayshaun Benny has already played great at times, and barring injury, he should once again be a force. Otherwise, it will be up to fifth year senior Ike Iwunnah (7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss in 2024), junior Trey Pierce (7 tackles), redshirt sophomore Enow Etta (4 tackles, 0.5 sacks), and a couple transfers to get it done inside. Luckily, the transfers were pretty good recruits. On the not-so-great side, they weren’t super productive at their previous stops. Alabama transfer Damon Payne (14 tackles, 0.5 sacks) and Clemson transfer Tre Williams (14 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks) are not stars like Graham and Grant, but they’re veteran additions.

The most impressive aspect and the biggest sign for hope is that this is a veteran-heavy position group. Altogether, the defensive line room boasts seven (7!!!) fifth-year seniors and four fourth-year players, the latter group including a couple former walk-ons in Joey Klunder and Chibi Anwunah. At a position in the trenches where physical maturity is at a premium, if you can’t win with pure talent, it’s at least good to have size, strength, and mental maturity.

On the edges, Michigan will miss Josaiah Stewart, an undersized player who won a ton of his matchups and played tougher than his 6’1″, 245 lb. frame would indicate. But rising senior Derrick Moore (23 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks) and fifth year senior T.J. Guy (32 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks) both played well in the bowl game against Alabama; Moore came on in that game after being pretty quiet throughout the regular season, but Guy was solid for most of the year. Those two players should lead the way, but Michigan did not land any reinforcements in the transfer portal and will need to count on some young players to rotate in and find some success.

Redshirt sophomore Aymeric Koumba looks the part, and Michigan brought in a really talented trio in 2024 with Lugard Edokpayi, Devon Baxter, and Dominic Nichols. Nichols looked like he belonged, making 3 tackles in five games (one was the bowl game, so he preserved his redshirt). But there’s plenty of opportunity here for help at the edge positions to step up in the spring and stake a claim for playing time this fall.

Overall, this is a veteran group that should be solid and deep. In fact, I can’t think of a Michigan team that has had this much experience. The real question is the top-end talent and whether someone who will step up who can make consistent big plays in crunch time, something guys like Mason Graham, Josaiah Stewart, Aidan Hutchinson, and others have been able to do.

2024 Season Countdown: #64 Aymeric Koumba

Name: Aymeric Koumba
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 260 lbs.
High school: Bordeaux (France) Lycee Alfred Kastler
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #90
Last year: I ranked Koumba #130 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in one game.
TTB Rating: 73

Koumba was very raw coming out of France last year, and it was reflected in the amount of playing time he got: he played in the first game of the year, against East Carolina. Most freshmen aren’t going to play a ton, but especially guys in the trenches who come from Europe.

Not much practice buzz came out of Schembechler Hall about Koumba, but he supposedly got up to 265 pounds this off-season before being listed at 260 on the fall camp roster. He looked thin as a recruit, but now people like Sam Webb are saying Koumba looks like the type of guy you would want to be “first off the bus.” At 6’5″ and 260 pounds, he’s roughly the same height and weight as Braiden McGregor and Aiden Hutchinson, two other guys who would have been “first off the bus” material.

Whether Koumba plays or not is a different story. Michigan’s top three edge players are Josaiah Stewart, Derrick Moore, and probably T.J. Guy, but Koumba might be in the running to be that fourth or fifth guy, along with someone like Cameron Brandt. I wouldn’t expect him to ascend to fourth just yet, but Brandt got 60 snaps in 2023 and Kechaun Bennett got 32. That’s the type of role that Koumba has a chance to fill in 2024.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2024 Spring Football Preview: Defensive Line

2023 Starters: OLB Jaylen Harrell, DT Mason Graham, DT Kris Jenkins, DE Braiden McGregor
Losses: Reece Atteberry (transfer), Cam Goode (NFL), Harrell (NFL), McGregor (NFL)
Returning players: Josaiah Stewart (Sr.), Kechaun Bennett (RS Jr.), Rayshaun Benny (RS Jr.), T.J. Guy (RS Jr.), Ike Iwunnah (RS Jr.), Tyler McLaurin (RS Jr.), Graham (Jr.), Grant (Jr.), Derrick Moore (Jr.), Alessandro Lorenzetti (RS So.), Breeon Ishmail (So.), Cameron Brandt (So.), Roderick Pierce (So.), Brooks Bahr (RS Fr.), Enow Etta (RS Fr.), Aymeric Koumba (RS Fr.)
Newcomer: DE Dominic Nichols (Fr.)
Projected starters: OLB Stewart, DT Graham, DT Grant, DE Moore

Michigan had an excellent defensive line in 2023, and it might have been the best position group on the national championship squad. The biggest differential in the national championship game against Washington was Michigan’s defensive line against the offensive line of the Huskies. Washington had a couple potential high draft picks in that group, and the Wolverines tossed them around like rag dolls.

Whereas Michigan had dynamic edge rushers in 2021 with David Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson, the interior of the defensive line has been the strength the past two years. That should be the case once again in 2024, though I’m expecting a little more pass rush from the edge guys this season. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant are entrenched as the starters at defensive tackle, and they should be the #1 defensive tackle combo in the nation. Grant is 6’3″ and 340 pounds but is fast enough to chase down Penn State running backs from behind. Graham is 6’4″, 310 and plays with both explosion and technique.

Michigan needs someone to emerge from the backup ranks, as starter Kris Jenkins, Jr. and frequently used backup Cam Goode have both moved on. Rayshaun Benny broke his foot late in the season, too, and will probably not be full strength until the fall. This spring look for Roderick Pierce to get some heavy rotation after playing a decent amount as the fourth nose tackle a year ago. Ike Iwunnah is a fourth-year player who has yet to see the field, so it’s tough to see him breaking out at this point, and Alessandro Lorenzetti is another player with decent size (6’5″, 301) who has yet to see the field. Michigan will either have to play one of those inexperienced older guys or give a shot to some young guys who really needed to bulk up from “strongside defensive end” vibes to playing tackle, such as Cameron Brandt or Brooks Bahr.

On the edges, Josaiah Stewart – who spent his first two seasons at Coastal Carolina – and Derrick Moore seem like very good bets to start. Stewart should step in capably for Harrell, and Moore should slide in smoothly for McGregor. They both rotated heavily last year and received a ton of playing time, and Stewart in particular showed a lot of growth throughout the year as he adjusted to playing in the Big Ten.

Once again, the big questions come from the backup ranks. Who will step up to rotate into the game frequently? And will anyone turn into an elite pass rusher? T.J. Guy is a fourth-year player with a good bit of experience, and he could be a solid backup option. He’s probably not a game-changer at this point, so the guys fans really want to see are the likes of Breeon Ishmail and Enow Etta. Both had excellent potential coming out of high school, and Etta was a highly valued recruit who was absolutely dominant in high school (20+ sacks in each of his final two seasons) but played against inferior competition.

Aymeric Koumba is a second-year Frenchman, and Dominic Nichols is an early enrollee freshman. Both have potential but it seems a little early for them to make much of an impact.

2023 Season Countdown: #130 Aymeric Koumba

Name: Aymeric Koumba
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 230 lbs.
High school: Bordeaux (France) Lycee Alfred Kastler
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Koumba was the equivalent of a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 73

Koumba is a transplant from France who was supposed to enroll early but now won’t arrive until summer. As a foreign player playing against subpar competition (by American standards), he was able to do a lot of things with his athleticism that he won’t be able to do immediately against FBS opponents. Even though a guy with 1st round talent in David Ojabo spent some time playing high school ball in New Jersey, he took two seasons of being a non-factor before exploding in 2021.

I would be surprised if Koumba makes an impact in 2023, and that surprise would have existed even if he had enrolled early. At roughly 6’6″ and 230 pounds, he has a long way to go before he will be a viable Big Tenn player.

Prediction: Redshirt

Visitors: Michigan vs. Penn State

2023

Kendrick Bell – WR – Kansas City (MO) Park Hill: Bell is a 6’3″, 180-pounder with offers from Michigan and UMass. He’s the younger brother of Michigan wide receiver Ronnie Bell.

Arion Carter – LB – Smyrna (TN) Smyrna: Carter is a 6’1″, 210 lb. prospect who is committed to Memphis; he also has offers from Alabama, LSU, Michigan, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 3-star and the #38 athlete in the class. This is an official visit. UPDATE: Carter is now visiting Tennessee instead of Michigan this weekend.

Jyaire Hill – CB – Kankakee (IL) Kankakee: Hill is a 6’1″, 170-pounder with offers from Auburn, Illinois, Michigan, and Washington, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #13 cornerback, and #147 overall.

Hit the jump for more.