Ann Arbor — Enow Etta takes personally the legacy of the defensive tackle position at Michigan and understands that torches are passed year to year and standards must be upheld, if not bettered. Etta is taking that next step this fall and joins Trey Pierce, an full-time starter last season, as they work together to live up to the type of defensive tackle play they’ve seen from former Michigan teammates like Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. “(They are) exceptional pass rushers for D-tackles, because typically D-tackles are somewhat limited pass rush-wise, but not those two guys,” Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said recently of Etta and Pierce. “Jonah Lea'ea is another guy that is playing as good a football as anybody up front. So those three guys right there are probably the top three as far as putting pressure on the quarterback.” Whittingham is a big believer in Michigan’s tackles, as are the players themselves. Yet, within the defensive line, considered the strength of the Wolverines' defense, the tackles are flying somewhat under the radar.
“It is what it is,” Etta said Thursday while speaking to reporters. “We got to go out on the field and do what we do. It don’t really matter what people say, because I always believe you can't let the highs take you high and the lows take you low. I mean, people gassing you up on social media, what are you gonna do? Be excited? No. Like we know what we got to do. “It doesn't matter if people are saying we're gonna be great, people saying we're gonna suck. At the end of the day we have a standard to uphold. Outside noise, it's just noise. We got to do what we got to do. We've seen it. We know we have to do. Under the radar? I mean, some people might like that. That’s a chip on the shoulder for me. We gonna do what we do regardless if everyone supports us or nobody likes us.” Etta said he came to Michigan because he watched players like Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo excel and become NFL Draft picks. If people choose to doubt this upcoming group, so be it, but Etta said the returners know what the stakes are and how high the bar is for the tackles. “Michigan D-line, that's why I came here,” Etta said. “So you could either take it as a challenge or you could step up and be like, ‘I know I'm made for this. I'm gonna go do it, just like the guys in front of me did.’ And that's what we plan to do.” Etta said he and Pierce realized in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama on Dec. 31, 2024 that they were, in fact, made for this. The Wolverines entered that game without key players like Graham and Grant, who began training for the NFL Draft, and Etta and Pierce were thrust into major roles, both getting their first starts. Few gave Michigan a chance. “Man, we just hop on Twitter, and I know they say you're not supposed to read, (but) I'm like, man, let me just read,” Etta said. “They talking about, 'Oh man, Michigan about to get destroyed. Their starters not playing.' We went out there, the whole world was waiting for us to get smashed, and we go out there, do what we do. “They had two first rounders on that line. We go out there and shock the world, and that's when I look at Trey, I'm like, ‘Man, they counted us out. Look what we did.’ So I know we can do whatever we do, because we were the only ones who believed in us. We were the only ones in Tampa who believed. I know Michigan fans walked in the stadium like, ‘Oh, it's gonna be a rough day,’ and look what we did. So I think that was definitely the moment because I think that's the most we ever been counted out. Of course, being in Ohio as underdogs, but I think at that moment, the season's over, big bad Bama, and look how it turned out. I think that definitely was the moment for sure.” The Wolverines upset Alabama, 19-13, that day in Tampa, Fla., and Etta and Pierce realized they were ready for bigger roles. Pierce started every game last season, and Etta played in every game. Etta feels like now is their time to shine. “You think that every year, and then you might look back and be like, ‘(Shoot), last year I wasn't as ready as thought I was,’” Etta said. “But we have that feeling, we have that confidence (going into this season). I spend time building that confidence mentally because I know what we can do when I'm at my best. So it's how long can I be consistent? How long I can be at my best? And then, how can we play together as a D-line? When you just try to think about me, me, me, I mean, it's a team game. We’re playing together, and we see the fruits of that labor. So we're just gonna continue to play together.” There is a new staff at Michigan under Whittingham, in his first season coaching the Wolverines after 21 seasons as Utah's head coach. Jay Hill is coordinating the defense, which had been, since the 2021 season at Michigan, coached by three coordinators all from the Baltimore Ravens tree. But Etta said he isn’t worried about who is coaching or what scheme is installed. “With this new staff, I would say it feels different, but it feels the same,” Etta said. “We're just working. It’s just work at the end of the day. For me — maybe some guys might say different — at the end of the day, you get the call, do what you got to do. Coach Hill definitely puts us in the best positions to win, and I think that's something that a lot of guys can appreciate. “I mean, it's defense. When he first gets here, it's like, oh man, it's a new playbook. But you got to man up and realize wherever you go, there's dudes in the NFL that are on a new team every year (and) they got to learn a new playbook every year. You just go out there and do what you're told and play, and if every guy does that, we're in a good spot.” Now, Etta said he and his teammates are eager to get to that first game against Western Michigan on Sept. 5 and finally put on display what Whittingham and his staff have prepared most of this year. “Coach Whittingham has a thing where practice gonna be harder than the game, so I'm like, man, I'm ready for the game,” Etta said. “We're definitely excited. Everybody knows we have a new staff. We have a new offense. We have a new defense. We've been working at it since January. I mean, it's about to be August, so that's eight months. Everybody's confident in the product we have. So, there's nothing else to do than just show it.” achengelis@detroitnews.com @chengelis This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Enow Etta ready to take the D-tackle torch for Michigan football