Name: Tre Williams Height: 6’2″ Weight: 320 lbs. High school: Washington (DC) St. John’s Position: Defensive tackle Class: Sixth year senior Jersey number: #0 Last year: Williams played for Clemson. He started three games and made 14 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 pass breakups over fourteen contests. TTB Rating: N/A
Williams comes to Michigan from Clemson, and I’m going out on a little bit of a limb ranking him up here at #22 but there’s a reason. Williams’s performance in Death Valley has not been outstanding over the years, but when I watch the film, I see a guy that I think has some good potential. He’s a little on the short side and can get swallowed up by offensive linemen once in a while, but his quickness is intriguing and I think he’s the defensive tackle (outside of Rayshaun Benny) most likely to create a pass rush. That would be a big deal for a defensive tackle group that lost Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant.
When I watched Williams at Clemson, I really think there are a couple small changes he can make to improve, and they mostly have to do with leverage and hand placement. If defensive line coach Lou Esposito can get Williams to play a little bit lower “with his hands above his eyeballs,” I think he’s going to generate some push on the interior that will make it very difficult for opposing quarterbacks to escape since they’ll be hemmed in by some quality pass rushers on the edge. Alabama transfer Damon Payne may be a better run stopper, but Williams has the potential to get in the backfield and make some splashier plays.
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.
Ryland Gandy – CB – Pitt: Gandy is a 6’0″, 172 lb. corner who made 40 tackles and 2 pass breakups this past season as a first-year starter. He notched a grade of 60.6 from PFF. He was a 3-star, the #59 cornerback, and #650 overall in the class of 2022 and attended Buford (GA) Buford, the same high school as running back transfer Justice Haynes.
David Pantelis – WR – Yale: Pantelis is a 5’11”, 200 lb. wideout who spent the past four years at Yale after attending high school at Pittsburgh (PA) Upper St. Clair. This past season he caught 69 passes for 1,018 yards and 11 touchdowns. Altogether, he has caught 119 passes for 1,661 yards (14.0 yards/catch) and 14 touchdowns. He also has averaged 26.5 yards/return on 9 kickoff returns and 6.7 yards/return on 7 punts return attempts.
Tre Williams – DT – Clemson: Williams is a 6’2″, 315-pounder who was a 4-star, the #11 defensive tackle, and #94 overall in the class of 2020. He got a COVID exemption for 2020 and only played in four games (plus the bowl game) in 2023, so he still has one year of eligibility remaining. He played 303 snaps this past season and started two games, earning a 66.3 grade from PFF. He made 14 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 pass breakups in 2024. He was a high school teammate of graduating Michigan safety Quinten Johnson.
Jamarious Brown – DE – Moss Point (MS) Moss Point: Brown is a 6’3″, 250 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and Florida State, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #26 edge player, and #323 overall. Mississippi is a black hole for Michigan recruiting, so I wouldn’t expect this to go much of anywhere.
Koby Keenum – OG – Florence (AL) Mars Hill: Keenum is a 6’4″, 300-pounder with offers from Florida State, Notre Dame, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #52 offensive tackle, and #578 overall.
Elijah Paige – OT – Phoenix (AZ) Pinnacle: Paige is a 6’6″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from the big in-state schools, Notre Dame, Penn State, and USC, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #40 offensive tackle, and #499 overall. If Pinnacle sounds familiar, it’s a pretty successful high school program in Arizona produced former Michigan quarterback commit J.D. Johnson and, less importantly, jerkface Spencer Rattler.
