The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 43 at statistics. When I was at Old Dominion, our tight end had 73 or 74 catches. Before that, our tight end had a school record at my previous school. "It's always fun when you have a re- ally good tight end. It's a shorter throw, it's an easier throw, and it's a bigger target. Colston, [junior] Marlin Klein and [senior] Max Bredeson, in his unique role, will be huge for the quarterback. And they are all really good football players." The Wolverine: How has Edwards grown and matured? Campbell: "In the past, even though Donovan had a lot of production, he wasn't called upon as the vocal leader, with Blake Corum and J.J. McCarthy and some of the O-linemen we had. But he's always been vocal, a guy able to express how he feels and get the team motivated. I don't think his messaging has changed. When I've heard him speak to the team, he's always been outstanding. "But now when people look at him, they know that's one of the leaders of the team. I wouldn't be surprised if he's elected cap- tain. We'll see how that comes out in fall camp. "He's done a great job of taking that role, motivating our players, and providing a great example, on the field and off the field, of what to do and how to do it." The Wolverine: What's the pecking or- der among the running backs, coming out of spring? Campbell: "Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings will definitely play. Who is the third back? That's yet to be determined. [Sophomore] Ben Hall is really good. [Freshman] Jordan Marshall is in the mix. We haven't really seen [freshman] Micah Ka'apana doing anything yet. [Sophomore] Cole Cabana is finally healthy. "We'll see how the battle is for playing time. Donovan and Kalel are definitely go- ing to touch the football." The Wolverine: You've noted you'll know the starting quarterback, collectively, when you see him. Can you talk a little about the process of making that choice, in conjunction with the head coach? Campbell: "This is my fourth time of being part of something like this. When I was at Penn State, we had a battle between Sean Clifford and Will Levis. When I was at Old Dominion, we had a battle between two guys, and now this. And I was here [as an analyst] when it was J.J. [McCarthy] and Cade [McNamara]. "I truly believe from the first time do- ing it until now, it's nothing that you rush. There's obviously a deadline, which is the first game — who takes the first snap. "When you rush that decision, some- times you make the wrong one. You have to let it play out, and how we let it play out is the statistics on the field, how they get in and out of the huddle, how they communi- cate with their teammates, how they do in the weight room, in the classroom, in the community. You're picking the leader of the football team at one of the most pres- tigious universities in all the land. You've got to make sure you choose the right one. "Coach Moore and I will make that deci- sion with other members of the staff. It's a daily process." The Wolverine: Is there any chance it could go into the season, such as when J.J. McCarthy was a sophomore? Campbell: "That situation was differ- ent. The first three games were different. It was Colorado State, Hawai'i, UConn. We have Texas in Week 2. For it to go into the season is something we aren't planning on. But if that's what the timeline says, I'm not opposed to it. We want to make sure we get the right guy. I would prefer to have that decision before then." The Wolverine: Under what circum- stances might you go with multiple QBs? Campbell: "We haven't made a deci- sion, one way or another. We're going to put the best players on the field for every single snap. If that means playing multiple guys, if that makes us better, that's what we're going to do. I was part of that staff using Tommy Stevens and Trace McSor- ley at Penn State. That worked out. If that makes us the best offense, sure, let's do it. "If we can create the best offensive play every time we step on the field, we're going to do it. Are we against it? I'm not. Have we had that discussion with Sherrone? Not in depth. That will probably play out towards the end of summer and early camp." T he Wolverine: Can you name a strength from each of the scholarship QBs in that room? Campbell: "I'll start backwards, age- wise. [Freshman] Jadyn Davis, his strength is coachability. He's extremely coachable, willing to learn, really good at the game of football. His best trait is when the ball is snapped, he's able to process, he's able to play, and he's got a short memory. He's able to move on from a mistake. "[Junior] Jayden Denegal is a big frame who is able to break tackles and extend plays, which will show up in live periods. "[Senior] Davis Warren is probably the best pure mechanical thrower that we've had here, even better than J.J. The guy's just like a machine, and he's obviously got the personality that he's going to be successful, whatever he does in life. Just a super-sharp human. "[Grad] Jack Tuttle is experienced. He sat behind J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. [at Indiana] and Tyler Huntley [at Utah]. Those are the three guys that held him out of the starting lineup. They're three NFL quarterbacks — two first-round picks and a guy that's the backup for the Ravens and started a playoff game. He's got knowledge, and he can throw it with the best of them. "[Junior] Alex [Orji] has pure athleti- cism. He's got a really strong arm. Every- body looks at him as just a runner. He can throw the football really well and consis- tently. It's just continuing to improve on that in a daily process. "The best thing about them is you won't find a better group of humans in a position room in the entire country. They're just outstanding men. They're people you want your daughter to hang around. It's a fun, fun group for me to coach." The Wolverine: Bottom line, what would a successful Michigan offense look like this year? Campbell: "Scoring one more point, every game, than the opposing team." The Wolverine: Any final thoughts? Campbell: "You want to be exciting. You want to be interesting. Our goal is to make sure we are the best unit in college football on every single snap. I will make sure we're the most prepared unit in the country come game day. Our players will play as such and will execute their assign- ments with the best of their ability and play for each other. At the end of the day, we're 11 as one. That's how we view it." ❑ "Our goal is to make sure we are the best unit in college football on every single snap. … At the end of the day, we're 11 as one." CAMPBELL