The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 159 R unning back Donovan Edwards is considered to be the headliner of the Michigan offense this up- coming season. He is one of only two returning offensive play- ers with significant experience and production. He is in a sys- tem that will look to smash on the ground. And he has made a name for himself with highlight touchdowns in big moments — just ask Ohio State in 2022 and Washington in 2023. EA Sports agrees. They made him one of their three cover athletes for College Football '25 — the first college football video game in a decade. Yet, don't be surprised if an- other Wolverine running back shares those headlines with Edwards. Converted from line- backer two years ago, Kalel Mullings is in prime position to be Michigan's breakout player on offense. U-M will need a running back in addition to Ed- wards, and Mullings is the per- fect fit. T h e Wo lve r i n e s l ove d to pound the rock with Jim Har- baugh as head coach and Sher- rone Moore as offensive coordi- nator. They were in the top 25 in rush play rate each year from 2021 to 2023. That will not change under Moore's stewardship. If anything, Michigan may run it even more. Moore is incor- porating his "SMASH" slogan into the team's DNA, culture and identity, and he already demonstrated he will run it 32 straight times to win like he did at Penn State. Additionally, Michigan may need to run the ball more frequently to ease in its new quarterback. With J.J. McCarthy having left early for the NFL, U-M does not have a known commodity at the position. The favorite to win the job is dual-threat Alex Orji, who has been described as a rawer version of Jalen Milroe from Alabama. Orji's physical presence and speed make him a threat with his feet, but he has attempted only one throw in two years for a reason. He is still developing his accuracy, timing and consistency, at which McCarthy excelled. Orji is not ex- pected to be near McCarthy in these areas after this summer, so U-M will need to rely on its run game even more. Therefore, Michigan will have plenty of carries available for its backfield. How- ever, not all of those will be going to Ed- wards, nor should they be. He is not a workhorse type of back. He has not had more than 167 snaps or 140 carries in a single season, whereas Blake Corum had at least 278 snaps and 248 carries in each of the last two seasons. Edwards' load will absolutely increase with Corum's departure, but he is not suddenly going to see 300 snaps and 275 carries. Michigan wants and needs to keep Edwards fresh, especially since he has dealt with injuries in the past. Also, Edwards' running style does not align with a workhorse back. He is electric when he cuts into a gap and hits the jets — 732 of his 1,662 career rushing yards (44 percent) were gained on 18 runs that traveled at least 15 yards. Conversely, he forced only 14 missed tackles on 119 carries and averaged only 2.67 yards after contact last year, which was 114th out of 136 qualifying Power Five running backs. He is a home-run hitter but has not (yet) proven he can move the chains constantly. Mullings, though, should be that bulldozer of a back that can extend possessions. He exhib- ited that in small doses in 2023 in his first full season as a running back after spending the first three at linebacker. On 36 at- tempts, he recorded 222 rushing yards for an average of 6.17 yards per carry, which was more than a yard better per attempt than Co- rum's (4.83) and Edwards' (4.18). Although it is a small sample size and much of it was done when Michigan already had a two-score lead, it is more im- pressive when broken down. Mullings forced 10 missed tack- les on those 36 carries, which is only four fewer missed tackles on 83 fewer carries than Ed- wards. Mullings also averaged 4.14 yards after contact, which was 13th among Power Five run- ning backs with a minimum of 25 runs. He also earned first downs on eight of nine third downs with 6 or fewer yards to go. As a result, Pro Football Focus gave Mullings an 82.0 offensive grade. At 6-foot-2 and 239 bruising pounds, Mullings will be the thunder to Edwards' lightning. As much as Moore and the Wolverines will want Edwards to rip off huge touchdown runs in games all season, they will also want the offense to churn out drives and keep the clock moving to keep the pressure off Orji or any other Michigan quarterback and give what should be another elite defense a breather on the sidelines. That will be Mullings' role on this unit. Michigan should not mull it over for too long because Mullings should excel at it and shine. ❏ INSIDE THE NUMBERS DREW HALLETT Mulling(s) It Over Staff writer Drew Hallett has covered Michigan athletics since 2013. Contact him at drew.c.hallett@gmail.com and follow him on X (Twit- ter) @DrewCHallett. Graduate running back Kalel Mullings averaged 6.17 yards per carry last season, including 4.14 yards after contact. The latter stat ranked 13th among Power Five running backs with a minimum of 25 carries. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL