Tag: T.J. Guy

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: #60 T.J. Guy

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Name: T.J. Guy
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 246 lbs.
High school: Mansfield (MA) Mansfield
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #42
Last year: I ranked Guy #50 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He made 4 tackles.
TTB Rating: 65

Guy seems to be steadily progressing in his career. After playing in two games as a freshman, he played in ten total contests last fall, including six on defense. He came into college with some questions about where he should play – end or tackle – but he’s been hovering in the 240s for his entire career so far.

The outlook for 2023 is perhaps a little brighter than it was in 2022. Mike Morris, Taylor Upshaw, and Eyabi Okie have all moved on from his position group. Josaiah Stewart, Jaylen Harrell, Braiden McGregor, and Derrick Moore are probably going to make up the top four edges, so Guy will be battling Kechaun Bennett, Tyler McLaurin, and freshman to get the other snaps available. While Bennett flashed a little bit in the spring, Guy has been more trusted by the coaches when it comes to live games over the past couple years, so I’m giving Guy the nod in the race for playing time.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2022 Season Countdown: #50 T.J. Guy

Name: T.J. Guy
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 251 lbs.
High school: Mansfield (MA) Mansfield
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #42
Last year: I ranked Guy #86 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in two games and made 2 tackles and 1 sack.
TTB Rating: 65

When Guy came in as a recruit, his future position was up in the air. Don Brown probably would have turned him into a defensive tackle, but Mike Macdonald made him a stand-up defensive end. He was a way down the depth chart, but he still got some playing time since Michigan blew out a few teams. He managed to make a sack against Maryland while playing in two games and keeping his redshirt.

I heard positive things about Guy in the spring. He’s not lighting the world on fire, but he’s continuing his progression, hopefully into a useful contributor in the next year or two. Defensive end should be manned by Mike Morris, Braiden McGregor, Taylor Upshaw, and/or Julius Welschof this fall. There’s not a star in that group, but there are lots of solid options, and the hope is that somebody steps up and stands out. It will be very, very interesting to see who steps up to replace all-time sacks leader Aidan Hutchinson and the speedy, athletic David Ojabo as pass rushers.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

What to Watch in the Spring Game

The spring game will be shown on the Big Ten Network on Saturday, April 2, at 12:00 p.m.

Here are a few things I’ll be curious to watch:

WHO TAKES OVER FOR HASSAN HASKINS?
Michigan needs to replace its leading rusher and toughest back in Hassan Haskins, a 6’1″, 220-pounder who is off to the NFL after rushing for 1,327 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2021. The Wolverines have two very talented running backs left, Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, but neither one has proven to be a bruiser or short yardage back. They have home run speed but were listed at 200 and 202 pounds, respectively, last season. Redshirt freshman Tavierre Dunlap (6’0″, 222) might be able to step into the role as a big back, but does he have the instincts and power that Haskins showed? Michigan doesn’t need a leading rusher – that will be Corum or Edwards – but they need someone who can pound the ball inside.

Hit the jump for more.

2021 Season Countdown: #86 T.J. Guy

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Name: T.J. Guy
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 240 lbs.
High school: Mansfield (MA) Mansfield
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Guy was a senior in high school. His season was canceled due to COVID.
TTB Rating: 65

My take on Guy when he committed in April 2020 has not changed a great deal since then. That is at least in part due to the fact that his senior season was wiped out by COVID, so I’m still working off of his junior film. Guy was a relatively lightly recruited defensive lineman from Don Brown’s stomping grounds, and the Wolverines held onto him even though Brown departed for the greener pastures of Arizona.

Guy plays too high, and he lacks technique. How much better did that technique get when he couldn’t play for the past year? I do like Guy and think he could be a good jumbo track and field athlete, a guy who could probably run pretty well, do the hurdles, and throw discus. But as a football player, he’s still a very large project. Unless he has undergone a mental/technical overhaul in the past year, I fully expect him to redshirt while he continues to learn the game.

Prediction: Redshirt