Name: T.J. Guy
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 250 lbs.
High school: Mansfield (MA) Mansfield
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #42
Last year: I ranked Guy #60 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He made 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack.
TTB Rating: 65
Michigan had a strong group of edge players in 2023, which kept Guy's playing time in check. Behind starters Braiden McGregor and Jaylen Harrell, the Wolverines had Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart. So Guy was the fifth-best edge defender on a team stacked with edge defenders. Overall, he had a solid season for being a third-stringer and managed to put together a 75.8 overall grade from PFF. Going just by PFF grades, he's the sixth best returning player from Michigan's defense behind Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Will Johnson . . .
. . . and Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart.
So there's an argument to be made that Michigan's sixth best defender is going to be a backup, because #3 and #4 play the same position he does.
Guy has shown flashes over his first few years, notching a couple sacks and then having a solid spring game back in April. But at least in the spring game, he was beating up on backups and freshmen. The jury is still out on whether he can do it against other teams' top-notch players, but every fall practice report has been mentioning Guy as an up-and-comer. I'm buying into the hype that he's going to turn into a solid player for 2024 and could place himself in a good spot to take over as a starter in 2025 after Stewart leaves.
Prediction: Backup defensive end; 20 tackles, 3 sacks
One of the more important backups on the roster. Hopefully the consistent hype, year in and year out, proves to be on point.
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