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Michigan Football: FOX Sports Ranks Wolverines’ D-Line No. 1

By Tyler Fenwick

Nov 7, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive end Taco Charlton (33) celebrates after he sacks Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Hayden Rettig (11) in the fourth quarter at Michigan Stadium. Michigan won 46-16. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive end Taco Charlton (33) celebrates after he sacks Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Hayden Rettig (11) in the fourth quarter at Michigan Stadium. Michigan won 46-16. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s not a well kept secret that Michigan football’s defensive line is going to be good this season, but might it be the best in college football?

While pretty much every position group for Michigan football can expect to either stay the same or get better in the 2016 season, you can’t say there’s going to be a group quite as dominant as the Wolverines’ defensive front.

Related Story: Competition will rule UM's offensive line

With Chris Wormley, Ryan Glasgow, Maurice Hurst and Taco Charlton back from last season, Michigan’s defensive line already looks good. Factor in Bryan Mone, who was injured and missed all of last season, along with true freshman Rashan Gary, and this thing starts to look downright scary.

The only major contributor from a season ago who’s gone is Willie Henry, who was drafted by the Ravens in Round 4 of the 2016 NFL draft. Mario Ojemudia was going to be a big absence, but he only played five games last season before tearing his Achilles.

This is in part thanks to former Michigan coach Brady Hoke. If there’s one place the Wolverines never fell behind, it was on the defensive line. Jim Harbaugh and his staff had a nice batch of talent to work with when they arrived.

Take the talent and size (seven of eight on Michigan’s two-deep weight at least 280 pounds) and add defensive coordinator Don Brown, and now we’ve got a show.

Brown will blitz just as much, if not more, than any other defensive coordinator in the country.

“What he does from a schematic standpoint because he’s so outside the box with the way that he packages his pressures where they’re bringing five, six every snap trying to get ready for all that stuff in one week’s time is a bitch,” one veteran offensive line coach told Bruce Feldman. “The scheme will definitely help their production.”

All of this means Michigan, according to Feldman, is going to have the best defensive line in the country this season—better than Alabama, Utah, LSU, all the other big players.

Michigan dominated in the trenches for most of last season—minus a couple games against Indiana and Ohio State—and allowed only 116 rushing yards per game (No. 11 in FBS). I send my condolences to teams wishing to use a running back against the Wolverines this year.

Michigan was aggressive and effective going after the quarterback last season, but expect it to get even better under Brown’s command. Players like Wormley and Charlton, who combined for 12 sacks last season, could be freed up for even more damage in 2016.

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Michigan’s defensive line will probably be the best position group on the field every Saturday, no matter who the Wolverines are playing. And should this be the season Michigan breaks through and makes the playoff, it’ll undoubtedly have those tanks up front to thank.

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