The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2023 THE WOLVERINE 31 FEBRUARY 2023 THE WOLVERINE 31 2023 LOOK AHEAD RUNNING BACKS BY CLAYTON SAYFIE RETURNING STARTERS Senior Blake Corum The 5-foot-8, 210-pounder finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting in 2022, after racking up 1,463 rushing yards and 18 touch- downs in 12 games. His sea- son ended early due to a torn meniscus and sprained MCL, ailments that required surgery. He's tallied 2,492 rushing yards and 31 touch- downs in his career. Junior Donovan Edwards Edwards backed up Corum until becom- ing the featured back in the final three games. He totaled 991 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns on 140 carries in 11 games, adding 18 catches for 200 yards and 2 more scores. Despite playing with a cast on his right hand, he torched Ohio State for 75- and 85-yard TD runs and was named the MVP of the Big Ten Championship Game versus Purdue. OTHER RETURNERS Senior Isaiah Gash The former walk-on was placed on scholarship after the 2022 season. He rushed 19 times for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2022, adding 3 receptions for 24 yards, including a key fourth-down pickup in a 19-17 win over Illinois. Junior Tavierre Dunlap Dunlap ran 9 times for 46 yards in 10 games in 2022, after red- shirting the prior season. Sophomore C.J. Stokes Stokes notched 55 carries for 273 yards and 1 touchdown, flash- ing promise as a true freshman, mostly in garbage-time situations. NEWCOMERS Freshman Cole Cabana The four-star recruit and the On3 Consensus' No. 200 over- all player in the 2023 class is expected to play a dual-threat role similar to that of Edwards, being used as both a runner and pass- catcher out of the backfield. He enrolled at U-M early in January. Freshman Benjamin Hall The 5-foot-11, 235-pounder was a three-star recruit and the No. 1,039 player in his class. 2023 ANALYSIS The Michigan offense won't "stop itself," head coach Jim Harbaugh has said. With that, the Wolverines have found great suc- cess pounding the rock and sticking with it, averaging 238.9 yards per game, the pro- gram's most since 2003 (270.8). They sur- passed the 150 rushing yard mark in every game, amassing 200-plus in nine of 14 con- tests. Senior Blake Corum, U-M's first unanimous All-American at the position since Bob Chap- puis in 1947, emerged as one of the top players in the sport, running behind an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award. Had he stayed healthy, Corum might just have won the Heisman over USC quarterback Caleb Williams (he was a top-three contender before his injury, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers). Corum's return means the Wolverines have their workhorse and leader back, while also retaining a dynamic playmaker in junior Donovan Edwards. Corum can carry the load on each down, including serving as a short- yardage back. He notched first downs or touchdowns on 53 of his 69 carries with less than 3 yards to the first-down marker and moved the chains on 96 of his 247 total car- ries (38.9 percent). Edwards has even more top-end speed and big-play ability than Corum, ranking ninth nationally with 7.1 yards per carry in 2022 and tied for second with 5 runs of 50- plus yards. He's also a strong pass- catcher from both the backfield and receiver position, haul- ing in 38 receptions for 465 yards and 3 touch- downs over the last two seasons. Before his injury, it looked like Corum would depar t for the NFL after the 2022 season, meaning the Wol- verines may have had to dip into the transfer portal for another ball carrier. It's rare for top-flight running backs to return to school, given their limited shelf life at the next level. However, Corum is a rare breed — a high- level worker who prioritizes winning and has shared his desire to attain his college degree. He'll have the chance to leave his legacy, and he and Edwards should be a great 1-2 punch. Sophomore C.J. Stokes showed promise during limited opportunities his freshman season. It would've been a bit ambitious to slot him into a prominent role in 2023, but now he'll get to continue to learn behind Corum and Edwards. — Clayton Sayfie PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL