Tag: Kwity Paye

Michigan 20, Northwestern 17

Karan Higdon (image via Valdosta Daily Times)

Never apologize for a victory. There are going to be a lot of complaints about Michigan in regard to this game, but it goes in the books as a win and moves the Wolverines to 4-1 on the year. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when this would have been a loss because the offense never would have been able to mount enough momentum to score 20 points in a comeback attempt. In the post-2011 Brady Hoke years, the defense would have played well, the offense would have put up 10-13 points, and then the D would have cracked from having to be on the field forever.

Hit the jump for the rest of the recap.

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2018 Season Countdown: #33 Kwity Paye

Kwity Paye (image via Detroit News)

Name: Kwity Paye
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 241 lbs.
High school: Providence (RI) Bishop Hendricken
Position: Defensive end
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #19
Last year: I ranked Paye #82 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in eight games and made 5 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack.
TTB Rating: 81

Paye came a long way in one year, and I think that portends a very positive future. He made a huge jump in competition level coming from Rhode Island to the Big Ten, but his overall athleticism was enough to get him on the field for eight games. That’s a lot more playing time than many generic 3-stars get as true freshmen, and he didn’t look out of place. He had a half-sack against PSU and another half-sack against Rutgers. (By comparison, Rashan Gary had 27 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack as a true freshman, and Chase Winovich redshirted . . . at linebacker.)

Paye is on a good track to success, and the main competition to be the primary backup at weakside end will probably come from redshirt freshman Luiji Vilain. Vilain is an unknown commodity at this point after redshirting in 2017, partly due to injury. I’m sticking with the guy who saw the field already, and that’s Paye. Starting weakside end Winovich has an excellent motor, so I don’t think Paye is going to get starter-level snaps, but he should get plenty of opportunities to make an impact. He could very well be the heir to Winovich’s job for 2019.

Prediction: Backup weakside end

Michigan vs. Penn State Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Brandon Peters. Peters has only played a couple snaps this season, which included a handoff and a quick pass to Mo Ways for 4 yards. I wasn’t one of the guys longing for Peters against Penn State, but if Michigan can pull away from Rutgers, it would be nice to get Peters some snaps.

Hit the jump for the rest of the weekly awards.

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2017 Season Countdown: #82 Kwity Paye

Kwity Paye (image via Twitter)

Name: Kwity Paye
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 235 lbs.
High school: Warwick (RI) Bishop Hendricken
Position: Weakside defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Paye was a senior in high school. He made 65 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks; he also ran the ball 44 times for 651 yards and 13 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 81

Paye was a standout running back for Bishop Hendricken, maybe more so than he was a defensive player. But he was still good enough to get invited to the Under Armour All-American Game, albeit after a fan vote. Paye didn’t play a ton in the all-star game, but he didn’t play particularly poorly when he got in, either. There’s a lot to like about him with plus athleticism and good size. He’s just pretty raw as a pass rusher, and if his speed rush doesn’t get him a win, he doesn’t have much else in his arsenal.

My rating of him at 81 is probably higher than most expected for a nondescript 3-star, but there’s no denying that Greg Mattison and Don Brown know how to develop defensive linemen and defensive players, in general. If you stick around at Michigan, you generally get to be pretty good. I’m counting on Mattison to take Paye’s running back talent and mold him into a solid player, but it probably won’t happen this year. He’s behind a couple guys, and that probably includes fellow freshman Luiji Vilain. Unless the coaching staff sees some undeniable value in using Paye on special teams, I expect him to redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt

2017 Recruiting Grades: Defense

Aubrey Solomon (image via Scout)

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I posted the 2017 offensive recruiting grades last week (LINK), so here are my thoughts on the defensive side of the ball. Click on the player names below for their commitment posts.

DEFENSIVE END: B+
Commits (4): Deron Irving-Bey, Donovan Jeter, Corey Malone-Hatcher, Kwity Paye, Luiji Vilain
Decommits (0): N/A
Why? Michigan went after some elite rush ends (Jaelan Phillips, K’Lavon Chaisson, etc.) in this cycle, but none showed much interest. Instead, Michigan got home-stater Malone-Hatcher, Boston College decommit Paye, and Canada native Vilain as weakside end types. I thought Vilain improved significantly over the last couple years since moving from Ontario to Virginia. On the strong side, Michigan got Irving-Bey and Jeter, both of whom could end up as a 3-technique tackles. I don’t see dominant players here, but it is a solid group and they’ll get high-quality coaching.

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