Michigan Football: Breaking down 2022 DT offered by Wolverines

Michigan football offered one of the better defensive tackles Damonic Williams in the 2022 recruiting class and here’s a breakdown.

The Michigan football program went into the 2021 recruiting cycle needing to find a big defensive tackle and even though there is still hope that will happen, it’s still going to be a priority in 2022.

While the Wolverines have scored a win at defensive tackle already in 2022 with a commitment rom Alex VanSumeren, who is ranked 193rd overall in the 247 rankings for 2022.

At 6-foot-3, 270 pounds, he should make for an exciting defensive lineman and was rated by Tom Lemming, a CBS recruiting analyst as the No. 12 defensive lineman in the class.

VanSumeren seems destined to play defensive tackle but he may not be the 300-pound nose tackle type Michigan football may want in the middle. One player who could fill that role eventually is Damonic Williams, a defensive tackle from California who was offered by U-M Tuesday.

Williams is currently listed by 247 sports at 6-foot-2, 280 pounds and when you watch his highlights, you see a player that’s pretty dominant against the run. He does show some pass-rush ability and is able to push the pocket.

Yet, where he really excels in run defense and he isn’t just a plugger. He’s a guy who shows the ability to shed blocks and make plays down the line of scrimmage. You don’t have to be a 320-pound nose tackle in order to be a good run defender and even though it’s easy to see Williams getting up to around 300-plus pounds, he could have some versatility.

Yet, the really, really good nose tackles are the ones who have the size of a nose, plus some of the movement ability of a three technique. Vince Wilfork, who played for Miami and the Patriots was a great example of this.

Alan Branch was a guy who dominated in a similar role for Michigan and Williams could develop into that kind of player. He has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Washington, Colorado, USC, Kansas and Nevada.

The Wolverines have done a solid job recruiting California the past two cycles, getting Giles Jackson and Zach Charbonnet in 2019, as well as Darion Green-Warren in 2020.

And with the need for more run-stuffing defensive tackles, it’s good to see Michigan football making an early effort with Williams, the No. 15 DT in 2022 according to 247’s rankings.