The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 71 [ R U N N I N G B A C K S ] PLAYER BIOS POSITION COACH Michigan's all-time leading rusher, Mike Hart, is back in Ann Arbor to coach the posi- tion group that he was a part of from 2004-07. A Broyles Award nominee for the nation's top assistant coach in 2018 and a Rivals.com top-25 recruiter in 2019, Hart spent four years mentoring In- diana's running backs (2017-20), and was el- evated to associate head coach in 2020, after serving as the assistant head coach for a year. The Hoosiers' rushing offense had immense success under his guidance. Running back Ste- vie Scott, who set Indiana's true freshman rush- ing record with 1,137 yards and 10 touchdowns on 228 attempts in 2018, earned second-team All-Big Ten honors the past two seasons and honorable mention recognition the year prior. He had six 100-yard rushing games as a fresh- man and became the 19th Hoosier to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark. In 2020, Scott gained 561 rushing yards and scored 10 touchdowns in eight contests, becoming the 14th-ever Hoosier tailback to surpass 2,000 career yards (2,543). Prior to his time in Bloomington, Hart coached Syracuse's ball carriers during the 2016 season, just after departing Western Michigan, where he spent two seasons (2014-15). In Kalamazoo, he helped the Broncos earn back-to-back bowl bids for the first time in school history, while guiding a pair of running backs to Mid-American Conference (MAC) Freshman of the Year honors and 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Jamauri Bogan rushed for 1,051 yards and was second in the league with 16 touchdowns in 2015, while Jarvion Franklin racked up 1,551 yards, the second-highest total by a WMU freshman, and set the program's single-season records for points (150) and rushing touch- downs (24) in 2014. Franklin was also tabbed as the MAC Offensive Player of the Year and was named a USA Today Freshman All-American. Hart received his introduction into coaching at Western Michigan, where he began as an offensive quality control coach in 2011. He was elevated to running backs coach for the 2012 and 2013 campaigns. WMU accumulated 1,896 yards and 1,960 rushing yards in those two seasons, respectively. Leading rusher Bronson Hill was able to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in 2013 to finish 31st nationally and earn third- team All-MAC honors. Hart became a coach immediately follow- ing his playing days in the NFL, where he was picked by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2008 draft. He played three sea- sons for the franchise, recording 71 carries for 264 yards and two touchdowns, and was a part of the team that made an appearance in Super Bowl XLIV. A four-year starter at U-M, Hart set the pro- gram record with 5,040 yards on 1,015 carries, while adding 41 rushing touchdowns. He also holds the U-M record with 28 career 100-yard rushing games, and his average of 117.2 rushing yards per outing also is a record. A two-time Doak Walker Award finalist, Hart finished fifth in the 2006 Heisman Trophy bal- loting, was a three-time All-Big Ten first-team selection and was named the 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He was the team's most valuable player in 2006 and 2007. RETURNING PLAYERS HASSAN HASKINS • RB R-So. • Eureka, Mo. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 220 • Started two games and was the team's leading rusher during the 2020 campaign, accumulating 375 yards on 61 carries (6.1 yards per attempt). • His six rushing touchdowns accounted for half of U-M's touchdowns on the ground and topped the team in overall scores. • Finished the campaign with two straight 100- yard rushing days (109 against Rutgers and 101 versus Penn State). • Appeared in all 13 games and rushed 121 times for 622 yards (5.1 yards per carry) and four touchdowns during the 2019 season on his way to earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. • Also compiled 40 receiving yards and made three tackles on special teams. • His breakout game came in the 2019 win over Notre Dame, where he racked up a ca- reer-high 149 yards on 20 carries, including a season-long 49-yard scamper. • Appeared in three games on special teams in 2018, including the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl against Florida. • Was named the Missouri Class 6 Offensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the Class 6A All-State first team in 2017. • Tabbed as a three-star prospect, the No. 12 player in Missouri and the No. 40 running back in the country by Rivals. Year GP/GS Att. Yds. Avg. TD 2020 6/2 61 375 6.1 6 2019 13/6 121 622 5.1 4 Totals 19/8 182 997 5.5 10 BLAKE CORUM • RB Fr. • Marshall, Va. Ht.: 5-8 • Wt.: 200 • Made an appearance in all six games as a freshman in 2020, including a start at run- ning back in the season opener at Minne- sota. • Notched 26 rushes for 77 yards and two touchdowns, w h i l e a l s o catc h i n g f i ve passes for 73 yards. • C o n t r i b u t e d o n s p e c i a l teams, returning five kick- offs for 96 yards. • Enrolled early ahead of the 2020 campaign after carrying the ball 145 times for 1,266 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. • Selected as the Gatorade Player of the Year in Maryland as a senior and played in the Under Armour All-American Game. • Rated as a four-star prospect, the No. 7 re- cruit in Maryland, and the No. 8 running back and No. 104 overall player in the coun- try by Rivals. Year GP/GS Att. Yds. Avg. TD 2020 6/1 26 77 3.0 2 NEWCOMERS TAVIERRE DUNLAP • RB Fr. • Del Valle, Texas Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 196 • Joined the team in January as an early en- rollee. • Rated as a three-star recruit, the No. 29 run- ning back and the No. 77 overall player in Texas per Rivals. • Finalist for the state of Texas Super Team as a senior, after rushing for 572 yards and four touchdowns on the season. • Earned first-team all-district honors as a sophomore and junior. DONOVAN EDWARDS • RB Fr. • West Bloomfield, Mich. Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 190 • Enrolled early at U-M in January 2021. • Tabbed by Rivals.com as a four-star prospect, and the No. 3 running back and No. 58 over- all player in the class of 2021. • Selected to participate in the Under Armour All-American Game, All-American Bowl, Hall of Fame World Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl, all of which were canceled. • Named Michigan's Mr. Football by State Champs, and was MLive's runner-up for its Michigan High School Football Player of the Year honor during his senior year. • Rushed for 1,502 yards and 30 touchdowns as a senior, leading his team to the Division I state championship. • Ran for a career-high 257 yards and three touchdowns in the title game. His rushing total was the most ever in that division's title game history, and it stands fifth all time regardless of division. [ R U N N I N G B A C K S ]