Alessandro Lorenzetti’s path to Michigan, outlook for 2023

Alessandro Lorenzetti redshirted in 2022, so we haven’t seen much of this future defensive lineman yet in his Michigan career — especially considering he just transitioned from offense to defense this offseason.

As part of a series at Maize n Brew leading up to the start of the season, let’s break down Lorenzetti’s path to Michigan and his outlook for 2023.

The story so far

Lorenzetti is from Montreal, and he transferred to Loomis Chaffee ahead of the 2020 season. During his senior year, the team averaged 34 points per game and had multiple 300-yard rushing performances, scoring 19 rushing touchdowns in 10 games en route to a 9-1 record.

Lorenzetti was a three-star prospect and was ranked as the top prospect in Connecticut by 247Sports and ESPN. Lorenzetti chose Michigan over Michigan State and Penn State, among others.

Last year, Lorenzetti did not see game action and took a redshirt year.

Outlook for 2023

Coming into Michigan, the 6-foot-5, 289-pounder was an offensive tackle, and Lorenzetti played on offense his first year at Michigan with the scout team. Harbaugh named him scout team offensive player of the week for his work in the leadup to last year’s Michigan State game.

However, this February it was revealed that Lorenzetti would transition to the defensive line.

Michigan has seen several offensive players transition to defense to great success in recent years, most notably Mike Sainristil, one of the team’s captains and best defensive backs.

While Lorenzetti is unlikely to start this year, it will be an important development year for the redshirt freshman. Now that he’s burned his redshirt year, he could get snaps on the defensive line or on special teams this fall as he looks to develop his game defensively. Should the transition work well, a starting role could be in store down the line, with at least some rotation likely in his future.