Name: Enow Etta
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 308 lbs.
High school: Colleyville (TX) Covenant Christian Academy
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #96
Last year: I ranked Etta #82 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He played in three games and made 1 tackle.
TTB Rating: 87
Etta was an intriguing edge prospect in the 2023 class, and at 270 pounds coming into college, the coaching staff really needed to figure out what to do with his body type. They could lean him out a little bit and play him off the edge. Or they could bulk him up and play him inside. He maintained his redshirt by playing in fewer than four games, and the coaches saw him play a little bit in the non-conference schedule to begin the year.
This spring he was up in the 290s, and on the fall roster, Etta was up to 308. It's no longer a question about what they want to do with him, at least not for 2024: he's a tackle. This is probably a good thing for the team, because depth on the interior is a question mark. Some other options, like Cameron Brandt (edge) and Brooks Bahr (offensive line), have changed positions. Defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny is back to practicing and should be in the mix to back up Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, but the interior unit needs about five guys to rotate, and Etta should be in that rotation this fall. He still maintains some plus athleticism with his added weight, so the key is whether he can hold up at the point of attack.
Prediction: Backup defensive tackle
I had Etta a good bit higher because I'm optimistic he'll be in that DT rotation Thunder mentioned. I think the shift from outside to inside is really encouraging and he could easily be the 4th guy especially if some of that pass rushing from the edge spot translates into the interior.
ReplyDeleteGoode and Benny combined for over 500 snaps last year as DT4 and DT5 so I see Etta as a big part of the solution there and thus one of the more important backups on the team at one of the most important positions on the team.
Michigan could try to get by with a shorter rotation at DT/NT, if either Etta or Pierce aren't ready for primetime or someone is injured, but I think keeping our best players fresh is critical.
Mgoblog Seth sees it as a bad sign that Etta is moved inside, driven by need at the position. I believe he said something like "this is like moving Mike Morris inside" and thus a reason to be concerned. While I agree there was (and maybe still is) a need at DT, the move of Etta does not seem like a problem to me. It seems like a great sign.
DeleteDude was 260 in high school, 295 as a freshman, and 308 as a sophomore. He has grown into a DT! This happens with a lot of high school edges as they naturally bulk up in college. It's promising that someone with the athleticism needed to play outside is able to and bring that to the interior, presumably now with the requisite size and strength to hold up to the physicality of the interior.
I'm not sure why Mike Morris (a jumbo DE in the Chris Wormley mode who went from 255 to 295) is the model here when we have Kris Jenkins (a DE recruit who went from 265 to 305 at Michigan) available as a comp as well. And others like Donovan Jeter and Matt Godin. Wormley himself is another example having settled at DT and NT in the NFL after being a Don Brown anchor in college.
Maybe the vision for Etta was originally Morris, but these things change. The vision for Mike Sainristil and Zach Gentry and Michael Barrett changed too -- it's not a bad thing necessarily.
@ Lank 10:24 a.m.
DeleteI don't echo the same sentiment as Seth about Etta moving inside. His body type is different than some of those other guys. He never looked like a TRUE edge player, which is usually more that long, lanky type. Etta's body type as a high schooler seemed to be a thing that he was either going to have to REALLY work hard to change, or just let his natural body development take place.
I agree with you. Sometimes people get an idea in their head about who a player should be and in this case somehow that became "Mike Morris" but I don't think that fits here and that's not a bad thing.
DeleteI don't agree with your long lanky (LOL) take on EDGE players though. That's one path for sure (e.g., Charlton, Hutchinson, McGregor) but guys like Uche, Paye, Brandon Graham, Josiah Stewart and Jaylen Harrell are not very long - they are powerful and quick.
Point is there are different paths to success so I would not be worried that Etta moved inside specifically, especially since there was a corresponding move with Brandt going outside. Michigan has just as much need at EDGE as DT so I think Seth is reading too much into things. (Not that i haven't done the same). I'm assuming the position changes are beneficial to each individually and to the team as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI'm just not sure he'll have the technique down. Rushing past HS TEs & Tackles is a lot easier than figuring of college interior OL
This is a valid point.
DeleteHas this account been hacked?
A two sentence response. Has this account been hacked? LOL
Delete