Latest news with #IntheTrenchesPodcast
USA Today
03-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan's Trey Pierce aims to be elite DT in 2025, inspired by transfers and coaches
When he committed to Michigan football, Trey Pierce was a good get at defensive tackle. The former four-star recruit from Chicago might not have been the most ballyhooed recruit at the position, but he had everything that the Wolverines were looking for. Now, he'll have a chance to make a name for himself in 2025. There's a ton of depth at defensive tackle for the maize and blue, and Pierce will be battling Rayshaun Benny, Tré Williams, Damon Payne, Ike Iwunnah, and Enow Etta for playing time. But he came on strong late last year, earning more playing time by midseason and starting the bowl game opposite Benny up front. He'll have to work, given the depth, to see the field, but he told Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches Podcast on Wednesday about his lofty -- personal and team -- goals. "I want to play as much as possible. That's a big goal for me," Pierce said. "Uh, "I want to win a Big Ten championship, Ohio State, obviously. Michigan State, obviously. Natty, that's the big goal. But, for me, I think I want to put myself in conversations that I think I deserve to be in. I want to be like coming in next year, I want to be one of the top D-tackles in the country. I want to show I'm one of those elite guys in the country. That's my personal goals." Now if he does get more playing time, as expected, what will that mean for his college trajectory? Where does he feel like he can shine once he starts seeing the field more? Though the whole defensive front prides itself on its strength and conditioning -- that's often how the Wolverines wear opposing offenses down -- Pierce also notes that, like former Michigan tackle Cam Goode, he prides himself on his technique. And with defensive line coach Lou Esposito and defensive line assistant Pernell McPhee, Pierce feels like he has a leg up when it comes to the details of the game. "I think I like to think I get super specific, especially with Coach Espo out there, and Coach Phee," Pierce said. "A lot of it, Coach Phee is super technical. Every little thing, like a hand placement, like by the inch, I feel like -- foot placement, footwork. When you focus on that technical -- the technical side of football is more important than the weight room. Like if you play with leverage, you play with hands, you can have a hundred pounds less on your bench press than the guy, and I think you could outplay him. "So I think super, obviously super focused on that. Like really, really, really dialed in on that, I would say." Fans will get an opportunity to see Pierce and the defensive line in action on August 30 when the Wolverines host New Mexico for the 2025 season opener at The Big House.
USA Today
03-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Trey Pierce shares how DT transfers Tré Williams, Payne boost Michigan's line in 2025
Michigan football has a lot of deep position groups, but none as deep as the defensive tackle position. Despite having a solid rotation of four coming into the 2025 offseason, the Wolverines added two more interior defensive players via the transfer portal -- Clemson transfer Tré Williams and Alabama transfer Damon Payne. Along with fifth-year tackle Rayshaun Benny, senior Ike Iwunnah, and juniors Trey Pierce and Enow Etta, it might not be a group filled with household names nationally, but it's a room with a lot of talent and capability to penetrate opposing offensive lines. On Wednesday, Trey Pierce appeared on the In the Trenches Podcast with Jon Jansen, and he shared more about what the two transfers bring to the table -- along with what he's learned from the grizzled leader, Rayshaun Benny. "Tré -- I learned a lot from Tré this spring," Pierce said. "He uses leverage so well, and he's a pit bull out there. He's just stronger than everybody else out there. So knowing like how to use leverage and angles and stuff like that. He's so good at things like that. "Same with Dame (Payne) and Benny. They're both two extra years in the weight room. You can learn a lot from those guys. Like Benny's pass rush and Dame -- Dame's just, he's a good, he's another guy with leverage. Learning things like that from those guys, it's been invaluable." Given that we'll likely see quite a few permutations this season with the different tackles on the field at the same time, how do they build chemistry? After all, it's crucial for a line (on either side of the ball) to be able to play together, anticipating the other's moves so that they're not opening up a critical gap at the wrong time. Pierce says that the biggest thing for the group is that they're especially tight-knit, and that allows them to work well together. "Communication takes care of a lot of that, but also being around each other, like outside of football, helps with that," Pierce said. "I think just being around each other all the time, you start thinking alike, you start acting alike. Things start to come together on the field, and it gives you more time to think about things like, 'Oh, like this guy likes to spin inside. I got you, man. 'Like I'll cover your, you know, I'll get the contain -- things like that. "Just being around each other a lot, that kind of helps with that type of thing." Fans will get an opportunity to see the new-look defensive line in action starting August 30 when the Wolverines host New Mexico for a night game season opener at The Big House.
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan football's Hogan Hansen focused on details in 2025, says coach Casula
Michigan football's Hogan Hansen focused on details in 2025, says coach Casula Michigan football has one returning starter at tight end, but there's a big, glaring hole with Colston Loveland having departed for the NFL after his junior year. Expectations are high for Marlin Klein as he enters his senior year, but they're perhaps even higher for sophomore Hogan Hansen -- who showed similar glimpses to what Loveland had in his first year in college. Despite having shown some flashes, tight ends coach Steve Casula doesn't want Hansen to rest on his laurels. The good news is, to some degree, he can't -- things have gotten more difficult simply by his promotion to the starting group. Casula shared more about Hansen's progress and what they're working on together with Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches Podcast. "Refining the detail, applying detail, blended with his outstanding ability, playing with great technique," Casula said. "I think you can appreciate this as a guy who played pretty early in their career. Like when you first play everyone, you celebrate all the good that happens, and like anything that goes wrong, like, oh, well, he's a freshman, or oh, he's a sophomore. So I think one of the toughest parts for a guy's career that plays really early and has some success. "Well, now this spring, all of Hogan's reps were with the first group or first or second group. So life's a little bit different when you got to deal with Derrick Moore all day, or life's a little bit different when you're running routes against Ernie Hausmann. Like it's just kind of like, it's different, right? Brandyn Hillman's covering you. And that's no discredit to any of our younger players, but when you go from being a part-time player to a full-time player, practice is harder. Blocking TJ Guy's not easy." With that in mind, Casula likes what he's seen. Hansen may have had seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in 10 game appearances as a reserve, but the staff is just drilling into him that he'll no longer be judged off inexperience. He's expected to be the star player Michigan recruited and brought to Ann Arbor from Bellevue, Washington. Anything less would be a disservice to himself. "You're not a freshman anymore. So now you've got to be upheld to the same standard as the guys you're in the game with," Casula said. "So I think that's a challenge, but I think it's a challenge that Hogan handled well. He's really gifted, about the right stuff, physical, but now detail -- like playing with great detail. And not everything is like, oh, the ball just found him. Like, no, man, going out and winning every route, getting open, and continuing to get better through detail." Fans will get the opportunity to see Hansen in action on August 30, when Michigan football hosts New Mexico for the 2025 season opener at The Big House.
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan football's Marlin Klein poised for breakout as elite tight end in 2025 season
Michigan football's Marlin Klein poised for breakout as elite tight end in 2025 season Last year, as he was about to become a starter for Michigan football for the first time, tight end Marlin Klein was No. 90 on The Athletic's 'freaks list.' Since arriving in Ann Arbor, Klein, who began his football career with the Cologne Crocodiles in his native Germany, has turned a lot of heads. Loveland emerged as a matchup nightmare last year thanks to his rangy frame and speed that tops out at 21.25 mph. Klein, now 6-6 and 250, hit 21.75 mph this summer. He broad-jumped 9-7. Former Wolverines star Colston Loveland had said last spring that Klein was the fastest tight end on the team, yet Klein only had 13 catches for 108 yards for an average of 8.31 yards per catch. Now that he's set to start (for a second year) alongside sophomore Hogan Hansen, the team is hoping he can be more of a focal point in the passing game. Steve Casula coaching Klein to use his skills more That notion isn't lost on the coaches, that we haven't seen Klein maximize his potential. Speaking to Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches Podcast, tight ends coach Steve Casula noted that Klein absolutely needs to do everything he can to punish defenses, given what he has at his disposal. "He and I have talked about this. It needs to be," Casula said. "And he and I together need to make sure that that happens. Because we have talked a lot about his ability and his potential. And he's helped us win a bunch of football games here and played outstanding as an inline tight end this past year. But he and I both are in agreement. It's time for that to happen this fall. "So we kind of, he and I have kind of talked about this. I'm gonna talk about it less and do it more. But yeah, I really believe that this is the year that it needs to happen. I've got all the faith and trust in Mar, and he's got outstanding ability and talent. And the time for him is now." What Klein should be for the Wolverines Casula thinks that Klein can achieve the goals set in front of him. He's seen good things from him in the offseason, now is just the time to put everything together. Given the premium nature of the tight end position in the Michigan football offense (which isn't changing even with Chip Lindsey taking over the offensive coordinator position), Casula wants to see Klein rise to the occasion -- to become a premier tight end in college football. Because, essentially, that's what's demanded in the Michigan offense. "Like we were saying, ball finds talent, technique, and energy. He's got great talent," Casula said. "He's got the capacity to use great technique. And he's got the right energy about him. But I think it's a combination of both. "He is gonna be targeted more this upcoming season. And my challenge has been him, every single play, man, win the route. Every single play, do it right. So he's being held to a super high standard now. I do believe this spring was the best he's ever played. But again, our guys need to be who Michigan needs them to be. Michigan's starting tight end needs to be an NFL player and an all-conference level player. That's what our history is. That's what the level of expectation is. So pushing him to be that. He's ready to be coached, as you mentioned earlier, on the why. He knows what to do. He knows how to do it. He's to the point in his career where he's kind of taking that next step. But now it's about going and doing it." Klein will certainly have competition to help make him better. Hogan Hansen is expected to take a big step forward, while other players -- such as Brady Prieskorn and Zack Marshall -- have gotten some offseason accolades. That's not even mentioning the fullbacks -- Max Bredeson and Jalen Hoffman -- who could see more time working as pass-catching threats in the new offense.
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Soup Campbell shares insights on Michigan football's 2025 wide receiver corps
Soup Campbell shares insights on Michigan football's 2025 wide receiver corps The Michigan football pass game was beyond abysmal last year, with the fourth-worst attack in the country, ahead of only the service academies, while also having the worst aerial assault in terms of yards per attempt in all of college football. Thus, Sherrone Moore looked at the status quo and changed things considerably. While the hire of Chip Lindsey from North Carolina as the new offensive coordinator and the recruitment of quarterback Bryce Underwood are what generates the most headlines, there was something of an unheralded hire that flies a bit under the radar -- bringing Erik 'Soup' Campbell back to Ann Arbor. Campbell was a former defensive back for the maize and blue who turned out to be, perhaps, Michigan's best wide receivers coach in program history. He oversaw eight straight 1,000-yard receivers in his tenure, which coincided entirely with the Lloyd Carr era in Ann Arbor. With greats such as David Terrell, Tai Streets, Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant, and Mario Manningham, it was almost a certainty that Michigan was going to have elite pass catchers on the roster. Times are much different now, but Campbell joined the staff to assist one of his former receivers, current coach Ron Bellamy, as working with the group. What made those receivers so good? On Wednesday, Campbell appeared on the In the Trenches Podcast with Jon Jansen and shared why he was able to consistently manage to coax 1,000-yard seasons out of his players. After all, not everyone listed above was a star coming out of high school (Campbell notes that Braylon Edwards only had a few MAC offers at the time of his commitment). It turns out, it's not athletic ability, it's not hands or route running. Really, what set his players apart was the ability to work hard and outwork those around them. "Well, I think the work ethic," Campbell said. "First of all, all of the guys worked during the offseason, and during the season, they worked. They also wasn't selfish. Those guys were also, the eight, probably the best blockers we ever had during that time. They always led the team and everything else. But so-called being unselfish, meaning playing without the ball, too. And they knew they don't get theirs, but they also play without it and played hard and played for the team. So things happen, and we also have fortunate, great quarterbacks during our time." Of course, the aforementioned attributes help. But even in recent memory, players like Roman Wilson excelled not just because he was fast and had good hands, but also because he was a willing blocker and showed constant tenacity in his position. What Campbell sees from the current group Campbell has been back in Ann Arbor for a few months now and he's excited to work with what the Wolverines have on the roster right now. The closest to a 1,000-yard receiver that Michigan has comes via the transfer portal, either with former Indiana quarterback-turned-wideout Donaven McCulley -- who showed out in the spring game -- or summer addition, UMass receiver Anthony Simpson. Though no one is writing home about the wide receiver roster in Ann Arbor across college football, Campbell thinks that Michigan has the building blocks of a solid receiver corps. "Talented group," Campbell said. "I think this group is a bunch of underachievers who the sky's gonna be the limit for them, and see how the season goes. And I think we have the talent to make some things happen." That said, there are a few things that Campbell insists should help out this unheralded receiver group this year. But there are also a few things that they'll need to do to raise the floor so that the pass game truly reaches another level. "Coach Lindsey coming in as a coordinator. I think also having the quarterbacks we have -- brought new quarterbacks in," Campbell said. "So those things are gonna help the receivers. And then we brought some talented guys in here, too, to help us in that group. And I think those guys, the ones we brought in, are gonna show that their reason why they came here. And I think that's what happens to receiver groups. You just start to get one or two guys to make the difference, and then it's contagious, and more happens after that." Michigan is expected to start McCulley, Semaj Morgan, and Fredrick Moore, but Simpson, Channing Goodwin, Kendrick Bell, Peyton O'Leary, Jamar Browder, and Andrew Marsh should all be heavily involved in rotation this year. Campbell most recently oversaw the receiver room at Bowling Green, working with fellow former Wolverine Scot Loeffler.
