The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 27 on a highlight reel, I love that stuff." His teammates appreciate him for it. They see him working toward a different ending, even with players who may or may not see the field in the crucial games down the stretch. "Carlo Kemp knows this defense in and out," senior safety Josh Metellus said. "He's seen everything, and he can be the vocal guy for the younger guys, like [freshman defensive line- man] Mazi Smith, who just got here. He can be the guy to teach them, to lead by example. "Carlo knows what he's doing. He knows the ins and outs of the front seven, and he can be that voice. He can be that person you go to outside of this building to ask questions and get better." "Carlo knows every single position on the D-line," agreed junior defen- sive end Kwity Paye. "If anybody is messing up, he's played all those po- sitions. He knows. Even me, if I need a little bit of help, I go to Carlo." Kemp wants to go farther than Michigan has gone in his three sea- sons here. He's left desiring more, heading into the 2019 battles. He's seen Columbus when the Wol- verines nearly won, and thought they had. That was 2016, his first year in a winged helmet, when the Buckeyes stole one. He's not tasted victory over that team. He's not slipped on a Big Ten championship ring. He's not experi- enced the College Football Playoff, despite being in position to get there two out of his three seasons in Ann Arbor. He's holding nothing back now. "It's a big motivator," Kemp said of Michigan's finishes. "If you look at our time since 2016 being here, you could chalk up any end of our year. In 2016, we lose our last two games. In 2017, we go 8-5. Last year, we lose our last two games again. "The 2016 class, we're looking around, and we feel that. We wear that. A lot of the guys that we came in with to accomplish our goals, they're leaving. They're going for the [NFL] Draft. Their time is over. "We're getting smaller now. We're at our last stop to make an imprint, leave history behind here. We feel that." Kemp also knows getting where he wants to go involves parting the scar- let sea. He's ready. "I get another opportunity," he said. "It's selfish. I get another opportunity to play in one of the biggest games in football. I know the things I've got to do to try and erase that memory of last year. "There are a lot of guys I'll go out and play for." ❏ Carlo Kemp made his big breakthrough in 2018, earning his first dozen starts on the Michigan defensive line. The senior stalwart underscores the size of U-M's front wall re- building task in 2019. Departed linemen Chase Winovich, Rashan Gary, Bryan Mone and Aubrey Solomon (transfer) took with them 74 starts for Michigan. The Wolverines' returners up front have opened the action for defensive coordinator Don Brown a combined 18 times. Kemp made 12 of those starts, all last year. He's started twice as many games as the rest of the defensive line ros- ter combined. Only junior defensive end Kwity Paye (four starts) and redshirt junior defensive tackle Michael Dwum- four (two) have taken the field in an opening series for the Wolverines. Brown's crew certainly lost quality, along with the quantity of appearances. Winovich earned Bo Schembechler Most Valuable Player honors for Michigan in 2018, achieving sec- ond-team All-America status and garnering the 2018 Rich- ard Katcher Award as the Wolverines' top defensive lineman. He made 29 starts for U-M, while defensive end Rashan Gary accounted for 22. Gary earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition by conference coaches in 2018, despite missing three games in the middle of the season due to injury. Gary also sat out the Peach Bowl, getting ready for the NFL Draft. Mone (19 starts) and Solomon (four) rounded out a line steeped in experience. Now, Michigan will be looking for fast learners beyond Kemp. Defensive line coach Shaun Nua, though, points out that the cupboard isn't exactly bare for Michigan. Paye, Dwum- four and senior defensive end/linebacker Josh Uche did see significant action last season. So did then-freshman defen- sive end Aidan Hutchinson, who played very effectively at times. They, along with redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Donovan Jeter, redshirt sophomore defensive end Luiji Vilain, redshirt freshman end Julius Welschof, true frosh Mazi Smith at tackle and David Ojabo at end, give Nua plenty of raw material. "It's great to have a Carlo Kemp," Nua said. "Carlo Kemp, Kwity Paye, Aidan Hutchinson, Jeter and Dwumfour — those guys had some experience. "I don't know if all of them got to start, but the films we got to watch … experience is so invaluable. It's great to have a young group with some experience. Yes, it is really good to have a Carlo Kemp." Nua watched every game from last year, looking to get a feel for what he has. He knows he's got a job to do, but he also knows he's in a good spot to do it. "It's Michigan, man," he said. "If you're in this profession, if you're a player or a coach, you want to be the best. You want to be at the top. You want to compete at the highest level. It can't get any higher than this." — John Borton Kemp Will Pace A Revamped D-Line Kemp enters his final season having appeared in 28 games with 12 starts — but his impact goes beyond his career numbers (20 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss). PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN