The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 55 [ R U N N I N G B A C K S ] ing impression as a rookie in 2021, despite playing behind both Haskins and Corum. The 6-0, 202-pound tailback wound up with 174 yards on 35 carries (5.0) with 4 total touchdowns, but enough wow moments to build plenty of anticipation for the future. Some of them occurred when he slipped out of the backfield to catch 20 passes for an additional 265 yards. One of those went for a 77-yard score against Maryland. But Edwards made the most jaws drop when somebody else wound up on the receiv- ing end. In the Big Ten Championship game, he unleashed a 75-yard touchdown pass to Roman Wilson, catching Iowa completely flat-footed and putting the ball on the money. The throw left some looking for even more, including a tongue-in-cheek Karsch. "I want to see him develop the midrange and the short passing game," Karsch quipped. "He's shown he can throw deep, but can he also throw the crossing pattern on third-and-15?" He laughed, then got down to business in comparing aspects of Edwards' game to those of one of Michigan's all-time greatest running backs. "In all seriousness, what an athlete!" Karsch marveled. "You have to imagine the sky's the limit. In the open field, he looks like he's got a different gear. He's got elusive- ness. It's just experience. He's got a great leader in Corum. "It looks like he could be a power back and also have speed. I said it when he was in high school. He looked like [Tyrone] Wheatley. That's a scary, lofty comparison, but that's the style with which he runs. "He's got the strength, the size, gets his shoulders turned upfield and really looks dangerous. He reminded me of Wheatley then, and he still does. And keep in mind, a poor man's Wheatley can still be an elite running back." The only poor aspect of Michigan's backfield this season could involve depth. That's why Jim Harbaugh and U-M's offensive coaches did some maneuvering in an attempt to improve matters this past spring. The Wolverines do feature a bigger back who could potentially pick up the slack in short-yardage situations. Sophomore Tavierre Dunlap executed 7 carries for 51 yards a year ago, and his 6-0, 222-pound frame can take the punishment around the goal line or when the chains need moving. But the Wolverines experimented with another possible bigger rusher in the spring. Kalel Mullings, a 6-1, 236-pound linebacker, got a look at running back as well, and he could potentially see action on both sides of the ball this year. PRESEASON ANALYSIS: STARTER ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Junior Blake Corum could've started at just about any other Big Ten school last year had he not been the complement to Has- san Haskins, who accumulated 1,327 yards and a program single-season-record 20 rush- ing touchdowns. Corum likely would've been U-M's second 1,000-yard rusher had he not missed two games with an ankle injury late in the year. Still, he finished with 952 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, and he added 24 catches for 141 yards and 1 receiving TD. DEPTH ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Sophomore Donovan Edwards and Corum should make up a dangerous duo, each pos- sessing different skills, but there isn't much proven depth behind them and only four true running backs on the scholarship roster. Soph- omore Tavierre Dunlap has registered only seven career rushes, and three-star freshman CJ Stokes is more likely to redshirt than be- come an immediate impact player. Junior line- backer Kalel Mullings, a former high school running back, played both ways in the spring and could be a surprise contributor. OVERALL ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Behind a Joe Moore Award-winning offen- sive line, Michigan loved the ground game last season, ranking 15th nationally with 214.4 rushing yards per game on 41 attempts (23rd). Haskins recorded 825 of his 1,327 yards after contact, per Pro Football Focus, and led Power Five backs with 103 first-down runs. Michigan doesn't have a big back ready to take on that kind of power role, but Corum and Co. are better suited to hit the edges and boast big- play ability. [ R U N N I N G B A C K S ] Last season, junior Blake Corum notched 22 rushes of 10 or more yards, and a whopping 47 percent of his yards came on "breakaway runs" of 15-plus yards, per Pro Football Focus. His breakaway percentage ranked 36th nationally among those with at least 60 attempts. While Corum is seen as a speed back, he can still get it done between the tackles. Per PFF, 405 of Corum's 952 rushing yards and 4 of his 11 rushing TDs came on inside runs last season. The 2021 campaign marked the third time in head coach Jim Harbaugh's seven seasons that U-M averaged more than 200 rushing yards per game (214.4). Harbaugh's crews accomplished the feat in 2016 and 2018, and the last time U-M did so prior to that was 2011 (221.9). The Maize and Blue actually had two All-Big Ten honorees at running back last season — Corum (third team, coaches) and Hassan Haskins (consensus first team). [ F Y I ] THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 55 QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Mike Hart (2nd year). Returning Starter: None. Departing Starter: Hassan Haskins (22 career starts). Projected New Starter: Blake Corum (1). Top Reserves: Donovan Edwards, Tavierre Dunlap. Wait Until 2023: None. Newcomers: CJ Stokes. Moved In: Kalel Mullings (from LB). Moved Out: None. Rookie Impact: Stokes. Most Improved Player: Edwards. Best Pro Prospect: Corum. "With [junior Blake] Corum and [sophomore Donovan] Edwards, you've got enough to compete at the high- est level. … It's a good combination of complementary skill sets. I think you're looking at a loaded backfield." MICHIGAN FOOTBALL PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER DOUG KARSCH