Michigan loses junior DT who played all 13 games for Wolverines

As the transfer portal opened on Friday, Michigan saw a lot of attrition in Day 1 of the transfer portal. Some surprising names came up like LB Cole Sullivan and OT Andrew Sprague, and following those two was DL Enow Etta, who announced late Friday night that he would also enter the portal.

The 6-foot-5, 320-pound lineman out of Texas wrapped up his junior season in Ann Arbor. Etta had a lot of hype coming out of the spring of his sophomore season, but didn't play as much as many had thought he would.

But in 2025, Etta saw a lot of action. Playing in 295 snaps in 13 games, Etta recorded 15 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and 0.5 sacks playing in a rotational role. Etta would typically spell the likes of Rayshaun Benny, Damon Payne, or Tre Williams.

Michigan DL Enow Etta — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Back in the 2023 recruiting cycle, Etta was one of the headliners in Michigan's class. He was a high four-star, ranked as the No. 129 prospect in the nation. Etta chose the Wolverines over Utah, Michigan State, and Alabama, among others.

Defensive line with Etta leaving

Michigan is already losing Benny, Williams, and Payne to graduation. The interior is taking a serious beating from graduation and now the transfer portal. As of now, Michigan is returning Trey Pierce as the lone returner who has experience. Michigan has guys like Bobby Kanka, Manuel Beigel, Travis Moten, and Deyvid Palepale, but none of them has much game experience.

What that signals is that Michigan will have to take a hard look at the portal to bring in some experience for next season.

Michigan DT Trey Pierce — Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Coach Kyle Whittingham said that winning the trenches will be a big priority and with both Utah and BYU players entering the transfer portal, it wouldn't be shocking to see Michigan look their ways to supplement losses.

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