David Pollack lands on Rayshaun Benny for Michigan's player to watch in 2025

The offensive side of football has been the talk surrounding the Michigan Wolverines this offseason. Notably adding blue-chip true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood to its roster, the Wolverines are expected to see improvements offensively this season.

Despite the Wolverines’ woes on offense last fall, Michigan continued its dominance on defense and was a big reason why they finished with eight wins. Their historical prowess on that side of the football is exactly why David Pollack expects big things from them on that side of the ball — particularly on the defensive line. He tabbed defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny as the player to watch for the Wolverines ahead of the 2025 regular season.

“Here’s what I know about Michigan,” Pollack said on his podcast, See Ball Get Ball. “Their colors and Maize and Blue, they’re one of the winningest programs in all of college football. And every year they got some G.A.Ms — some grown a** men — they got guys at the defensive tackle spot year after year. They just live in the weight room. They pound weights, they eat human beings alive up front year after year.

“That’s why they’ve been so good and so dominant, and Rayshaun Benny is the next guy in the lineage that can really dominate football games from the inside out. 6-foot-4, 300 pounds. I mean, he’s just a problem.”

Benny is heading into his fifth season at Michigan in 2025. A regular fixture in the Michigan lineup since 2022, Benny will have his hands full filling the roles left by defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. Both are off to the NFL, and Benny could be the next in that line.

Earlier this offseason, Benny noted that him, Graham and Grant were able to learn a lot from each other during their time in Ann Arbor together. Both were first-round draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, and Benny would love to follow in his former teammates footsteps.

It helps that Benny is completely healthy this offseason, which hasn’t always been the case. Benny suffered a leg injury in the 2024 Rose Bowl win over Alabama, which kept him out of the rest of the College Football Playoff as well as the majority of the offseason. Heading into his final year of eligibility, he plans on making the most of his limited time with Michigan.

Now the leader of the Michigan defensive line, high expectations will follow Benny into the 2025 college football season. The Wolverines kick off the year with by hosting New Mexico during Week 1. Their first test will come the following week on the road against the Oklahoma Sooners.