Michigan DT Rayshaun Benny has a lot yet to prove: 'I'm a player. I'm a first-round player'

Michigan Wolverines football graduate tackle Rayshaun Benny is one of the standouts on a deep and talented defensive line. The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder is coming off a huge game in a 30-27 win over Nebraska, where he registered 3 tackles, including 1.5 sacks for 15 negative yards, adding 4 pressures.

Michigan’s defense pressured Nebraska sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola on 44.9 percent of his dropbacks with 7 sacks. That’s just the third time over the last five seasons that the Maize and Blue have had 7 sacks against a Big Ten opponent, joining wins over Indiana in 2022 and Penn State in 2021. All three were on the road.

The Wolverines’ defensive line isn’t satisfied, however, still working to improve despite the dominant performance.

“We feel good, happy about it,” Benny said during Michigan’s bye week. “The job’s not done. That was only the first Big Ten game out of nine. Just all about trying to not get comfortable and keep pushing forward to get better, trying to find different ways where we can improve or just look at the things we messed up on from the last game.

“It can definitely be better. That’s a big thing in our room — try not to get comfortable, try not to let the good moments get too big in your head, don’t let the bad moments get to your head, either, because that can mess you up.”

On several of those pressures, Michigan defenders were being held, but there’s still yet to be a holding call on an offensive player against the Wolverines this season.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s not anything we’re not used to,” Benny said. “I’m not even going to get into that. It’s frustrating, though, especially when you’re complaining about it … I don’t necessarily want to say complaining, but you’re mentioning to the refs to watch out for it, and you’re still not getting those calls that you know you’re getting tackled on. But it’s alright.”

Michigan’s run defense — aided by the negative sack yardage — ranks 14th in America, allowing only 77.5 yards per game.

“Definitely a good start,” Benny said. “Just trying to make sure that we keep it up. At the beginning of the game, they got one decent-sized run, so just trying to limit those runs, as far as those breaking out, trying to make sure those don’t happen too much. 

“My whole time being here, we always pride ourselves on stopping the run, so that’s something that’s big for me, as far as being a leader.”

This is Benny’s last season at Michigan, his fifth after choosing the Wolverines as a top prospect in Detroit. He’ll head to the NFL after the year, and hopes to prove a lot more before then.

“I’m a player. I’m a first-round player,” Benny said of what he wants to put on display. “Just to show that I have a lot of different abilities and that there are a lot of things I can do well, and that I work hard.”

Michigan DT Trey Pierce ‘strives to be better’

Michigan junior defensive tackle Trey Pierce has emerged as a starter, and he’s in a similar mold to Benny in that his third season is his breakout year.

Pierce is coming off a 4-tackle game against the Cornhuskers.

“His hard work. He doesn’t put his head down,” Benny said of what makes Pierce a good player. “He always just strives to be better.

“He’s been in the room with me for a decent amount of time, too, so he was able to see the people before me and to see me and stuff like that, so just to be able to take different things. And we all integrate with each other, as far as, ‘I think you can do this better,’ or ‘I think you can do this better than me. You should try this. Work on this more.’ Just because we see something in somebody. Stuff like that. And he’s got the heart.”

Benny is expecting big things from Pierce the rest of the way.

“Trey’s like my little brother,” the Michigan standout said. “I don’t have any younger siblings, so he’s like my little brother. I’m happy for his success.

“I know there’s a lot more in the tank. I told him before the season my junior year was kind of when I started to become my own person, and I told him that this was his year to become his own person.”