Kenneth Grant is about to dominate for Michigan football in 2023

Michigan football defender Kenneth Grant said he’s lost 20 pounds which should make him even more formidable for the Wolverines. 

When he was a freshman, Kenneth Grant made some headlines, or rather, Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh made headlines when he called Grant “a gift from the football gods.”

That was before Grant or Mason Graham, the other guy Harbaugh was talking about, had even played for a snap for the Wolverines.

Now both players are set to have key roles on the Michigan football defense this season. Grant played in all 14 games last season the Wolverines. He didn’t make a huge statistical impact but did have eight tackles.

This season, Grant is expected to be a starter for Michigan football in its base defense. Mason Graham and Kris Jenkins seem ahead of Grant for now, but he’s going to see on the field plenty, especially now that he’s down 20 pounds from last season.

“What you should expect is for me to be on the field more, not just on run downs. I can contribute against the pass, too, and go on long drives,” he said.

Why the weight loss will help Grant dominate

Grant was pretty quick last season at 359 pounds (4.9 in the 40). His ability as an interior pass rusher has always intrigued me and now that he’s lost 20 pounds and should be even quicker off the ball, he should be a real threat pushing the pocket.

I definitely expect Grant to get his first sack and some tackles for loss this season. Graham stood out as a pass rusher last year as a freshman. He should this year too and part of that will be about getting more opportunities.

Rayshaun Benny is another guy that will play a lot and we shouldn’t forget Cam Goode. Those five players (Jenkins included) can all pressure the quarterback from the inside.

Grant’s sophomore season already looked promising but now that he’s transformed his body, the Wolverines should get even more production out of the 339-pounder in 2023.