Kyle Whittingham Affirms What Team's Strongest Unit is Following Spring Game

During Michigan football's spring game on Saturday, fans got a glimpse as to why head coach Kyle Whittingham has spoken so highly about the defensive line during spring ball as they have reportedly shown out in practice.

Several guys were in making plays along the defensive front during the spring game. After the scrimmage, Whittingham went in-depth on some players who are playing well up front on defense and explained what has made the unit so good.

Whittingham on junior defensive tackle Deyvid Palepale

Junior defensive lineman Deyvid Palepale was one of the standout performers on Saturday, with Whittingham explaining what his role is expected to be once fall comes around.

"Deyvid is in that rotation (of defensive linemen)," said Whittingham. "We’ve got five guys inside and five guys outside on the edge that we feel really good about that we think are going to help contribute to us winning games. Deyvid is a guy that has gotten better and better as spring has gone on. He did have two or three days there where he was out with an injury, but he was able to come back, pick up right where we left off. He’s a big body in there. He’s 330, 340 pounds, tough to move and he’s got some quickness and is going to be a guy that takes reps for us this fall.”

Deyvd Palepale walks — Michigan defensive lineman Deyvid Palepale (54) walks up the tunnel after the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Junior defensive end Dom Nichols 'coming into his own'

Nichols is another guy who was making plays during the scrimmage on Saturday and is a player that Whittingham expects to make an impact once the season comes around.

"Dom Nichols — he’s coming into his own," Whittingham said. "He’s a force out there. He’s 6-4-plus and 260 pounds, and really has a great first step and pass-rushing skills. He’s a guy that, I think, has the chance to be All-Big Ten before he’s finished here. He’s that good. It’s up to him how good he can be. If he continues to work hard and put everything into it, then he’s going to play this game for a long time.”

Whittingham discusses other Michigan playmakers on the d-line

"Nate Marshall has shown progress," Whittingham said on Saturday. "Cam Brandt had a really nice spring. He was consistent for us all spring long. Dropped a few pounds and really helped his game. He lost five to 10 pounds and gained more quickness and more burst off the edge.

Nate Marshall tackles — Michigan edge Nate Marshall (94) tackles New Mexico quarterback Jack Layne (2) during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, August 30, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"And then we don’t even have John Henry Daley out right now. He’s been out of spring with the injury, but you should expect him back on June 1. Again, that appears to be our strongest suit right now, as far as depth goes. Ten bodies ready to play, we’ll be 2.5 deep on the front of the defense there, and that’s a real luxury for us.”

With the offensive seemingly needing time to get up to speed, it's a good sign that the Wolverines' defense seems to be ahead of the curve, particularly the defensive line unit, which lost some key pieces from last year's team in TJ Guy, Derrick Moore, Rayshaun Benny and Tre Williams.

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