Defensive tackle Trey Pierce was recruited by former head coach Jim Harbaugh to Michigan as a three-star ranked No. 550 nationally. And although nobody outside of Ann Arbor was paying much attention before, that is about to change.

Michigan defensive coordinator Jay Hill said it plainly on the In The Trenches podcast in February.

"I believe we have two of the best defensive tackles in college football right now in Enow Etta and Trey Pierce," Hill said on February 11. "Those guys can play. I think they've been very well-coached."

That kind of public backing carries real weight, especially since Hill runs a defense built on stopping the run first. And per his comments in the February 11 episode of the In the Trenches podcast, Pierce is one of the best at doing exactly that.

According to Hill, Pierce has earned it. He's played in 39 career games, started all 13 in 2025, and was part of a Michigan run defense that held opponents to fewer than 112 rushing yards per game.

He finished 2025 with 30 tackles and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention, which is impressive for a player who spent his first couple of years buried behind Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Kris Jenkins. With all three of those guys gone, it's now Pierce's room.

He's also been vocal about what's different under the new staff. "Guys being late for lifts, not being where they're supposed to be, that's being enforced more," Pierce said this spring, per ClickonDetroit. "We're waking up earlier, going through that grind together. It puts you in a headspace like we've done harder things than this."

His teammates noticed too. Pierce was elected team captain for spring. That doesn't happen to guys who just show up and punch in.

Trey Pierce’s run defense grade ranks higher than every other returning Michigan defender

Pierce didn't just start 13 games last year. His run defense grade was the best of any returning Michigan defender last season, including Utah transfer Jonah Lea'ea, per Maize n Brew.

He also played over 400 defensive snaps in 2025. The only interior lineman who graded out above him was Rayshaun Benny.

What's more, the depth behind Pierce gets thin fast. Enow Etta, Manuel Biegel, Chibi Anwunah, and Deyvid Palepale are all still developing. None of them has proven they can hold down a starting role yet.

Pierce is the one dependable presence Michigan has in the middle. Jay Hill knows it. The team knows it. Pierce knows it too.

Do you think Trey Pierce can be one of the best defensive tackles in the Big Ten in 2026? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit