Michigan football EDGE Lugard Edokpayi poised to be 2026 surprise

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CHICAGO — New Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham has been adamant that the strength of the Wolverines this year is the defensive front, and while there is a lot he likes about the interior, the edge is particularly deep. While Utah transfer John Henry Daley is a known commodity, beyond him, there are a lot of unknowns. Third-year edge rusher Dominic Nichols and fourth-year Cam Brandt are expected to be heavy in rotation, but don't be surprised if you see another player make something of a meteoric rise.

At Big Ten media days on Thursday, one of the players who was mentioned by a few people was third-year edge rusher Lugard Edokpayi. Edokpayi was a late addition to the 2024 class, having committed to the maize and blue on signing day. The former four-star was rated as the No. 152 player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. And WolverinesWire asked Whittingham about the edge rushers, and he noted that Edokpayi is showcasing unique athleticism at his size that could be beneficial.

"Dom Nichols had a great spring, and Gritty (Edokpayi) is coming into his own," Whittingham said. "You talk about a specimen, 6-foot-8, 265 pounds. He's just a cat out there. He's so athletic and so fluid."

We asked Whittingham about Edokpayi on the heels of running back Jordan Marshall telling us that Edokpayi is one of his players to watch who is somewhat off the radar. While he also mentioned wide receiver JJ Buchanan and safety Chris Bracy, he said some things about Edokpayi that were particularly tantalizing.

"I don't think there's enough talk about him," Marshall said. "But, I mean, he is so freakishly athletic. He can go drop back and cover a chance at the end and go. I've seen him drop back and pick a ball off, and I'm like, where did he even come from?"

One person who would know more about what Edokpayi could do is defensive tackle Trey Pierce. Playing along the interior defensive line, Pierce is in the same unit and in a relational positional group. He noted that Edokpayi can do just about anything asked of him out there, and that he's got ability that just isn't seen from edge rushers, usually.

"Lugard is another one of those guys you just see coming along, and people don't really know about him yet," Pierce said. "But you'll definitely find out about him this year. It's actually unreal how he can play with leverage at that height. You know, he's 6-7, but he doesn't play like it. But he does use that length to his advantage. Like, he bats down, like, a ball every practice. 

"I've seen him get picks. I've seen him move in space. It's actually ridiculous. This is my opinion, that football doesn't get athletes like that who are 6-7 and can move like that. They're usually just going to play, like, basketball. So, like, to see him out there is, it's actually kind of jarring. Like, him and Carter (Meadows), like, they're huge. Like, they're just really tall guys."

Now that Big Ten media days are in the rearview, Michigan is gearing up for fall camp, which is set to begin next week. The season opener is on September 5, when the Wolverines will host Western Michigan at The Big House at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football EDGE Lugard Edokpayi poised to be 2026 surprise

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