How Michigan’s depth at DT looks with Michael Dwumfour transferring

Michigan’s depth along the interior of the defensive line got a little thinner on Tuesday with Michael Dwumfour announcing he’ll be grad transferring.

The Wolverines don’t have a ton of options at defensive tackle with Dwumfour departing. As it stands as of now, Carlo Kemp, who’s started the past two years for Michigan, is expected to gain a fifth year of eligibility. Behind Kemp, there’s sophomore’s Chris Hinton and Mazi Smith. Hinton, a former five-star recruit, and Smith, a former four-star, are expected to receive a significant uptick in playing time.

Dwumfour transferring sounds like bad news on the surface, but it might not end up being that big of a deal at all. If Dwumfour was to stick around, there was no guarantee he’d start with Hinton and Smith both having another year of experience under their belt and a high ceiling to go along with it. Further, Michigan is starting to implement more three-man fronts on defense, so less depth at the position isn’t as detrimental as it used to be. The program likes the options they have on the roster currently.

Even if Michigan believes they have the right players in place to start at defensive tackle in 2020, there’s a strong likelihood they add depth at the position via the transfer portal.

• Michigan has expressed interest in JUCO three-star Iowa Western DT Almosse Titi. The 6-foot-3, 310 pound d-lineman said that Michigan “probably will” offer him in the spring. Titi has offers from Arizona, Akron, Southern Miss, UNLV, Arkansas State, and Troy.
• Stanford grad transfer Michael Williams has received interest from Michigan, with a visit on deck from Jim Harbaugh and defensive line coach Shaun Nua likely to happen in the near future. Other programs Williams is considering are Rice, Vanderbilt, and SMU. Williams had 24 tackles (6 for loss) and 1 sack in 2019.
• Williams isn’t the only defensive lineman from Stanford on Michigan’s radar. According to 247’s Brice Marich, the Wolverines top priorities are Williams, and his teammate, defensive lineman Jovan Swann, who’s also transferring. Swann has tallied 8.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss the past two seasons. While Swann played defensive end at Stanford, his 6-foot-2, 271 pound frame could play inside for Michigan in some packages.

These are just a few names that are currently known, and this list is likely to grow when more players enter the transfer portal in the coming days and months. There’s no doubt Michigan could use another body or two at defensive tackle, but there’s a ton of time until the 2020 season begins, and about two months until spring practices even begin. There isn’t a tremendous rush for Michigan to fill the void of Dwumfour’s departure, it’ll all sort itself out when the time is right. The key will be for Michigan to land the transfer players desired if they find any they want. This will be something to follow as the offseason rolls along. To be continued.