ANN ARBOR — At some point this offseason, Carlo Kemp began experiencing an emotion recognizable to former athletes.
Heading into his senior season, the defensive tackle is feeling a new sense of urgency, knowing his time wearing the winged helmet is coming to a close.
“You don't get these opportunities back,” Kemp said. “Today's practice I won't ever get back. I don't get a camp next year. This day, I won't have next year. Whatever camp day, camp 10? If it is, I don't get a camp 10 next year. I'm just trying to realize that you don't get these opportunities anymore. So every single time you go out there, they really matter.”
Kemp has become a de facto leader on a defensive line that lost two big names to the NFL in Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary.
Through the first week of practice, defensive coordinator Don Brown heaped praise on Kemp for his work so far, calling him the “most improved” defensive lineman.
“Stronger, way faster, confident body language, the whole deal, leadership,” Brown said. “[He’s] really playing at a high level.”
Kemp agreed with Brown that confidence played a big part in his improvement, as he is now heading into his second season on the interior defensive line.
He’s shuffled around on defense during his three previous seasons. While he was recruited as a defensive end coming out of high school, Kemp initially played linebacker for Michigan, before he moved to defensive end. Last season, he was moved to the interior line after injuries.
“The more reps you get, the more confidence you get,” Kemp said. “I kind of made that transition a year ago. You just kind of figure it out.
“[It’s] just being confident. Going out there, and if I believe a play is going to happen, just sticking to it, even if I'm wrong, and just reacting off that. Just being able to play confidently allows you to play freely. You go out there and you feel like you have no restrictions.”
In each of the last two seasons, Kemp has appeared in 13 games. He started in 12 last year. After recording three tackles as a sophomore, Kemp recorded 17 tackles as a junior, including 2½ tackles for loss.
Even though Gary and Winovich have departed, Kemp insists the mentality of the group is the same.
“Every single year, the whole defensive line mentality is carry the standard that was set before us,” he said. “Being able to just attack, knock them back, and play physical, make the play, make the tackle, and just do your job.
“Our whole defensive line mentality is just attack, and that starts of course with Don Brown who sets that precedent really, really clearly.”
Making sure everyone does their jobs is something Kemp is taking to heart as an upperclassman. He said he wants to make sure that everyone is giving maximum effort during fall camp, because it’s impossible to just flip a switch during the middle of the season.
Michigan is looking to play in its first-ever Big Ten championship game and make the College Football Playoff for the first time. Considering how many close calls Kemp has been a part of in Ann Arbor, he’s trying to ensure everyone understands those types of games are won now, not in the fall, and will take unprecedented effort.
“The biggest thing I'm trying to do now that I'm in my fourth year is just share all the wisdom that I've learned with all the guys, especially the younger guys,” he said. “You just don't get those moments back.
“In the blink of an eye, here you are, it's your fourth year, and you've got one last opportunity to make everything count. You don't get do-overs. You don't get to be like, ‘Let's use that motivation and that pain and that suffering for next year.’ You don't get that. You've got to use everything that you've got right now. I've just been trying to stress that. You get one shot at history.”
First Published August 13, 2019, 6:14 p.m.
