The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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48 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY JOHN BORTON D onovan Edwards looks around Michigan's locker room and sees many individuals in the same shoes as him. Most own national cham- pionship rings and multiple Big Ten title rings, but they haven't played a lead role in those dramas. They're hungry. They're determined. They're maybe a little ticked off, over the low-grade buzz regarding a Michigan fall- off in 2024. After all, the superstars all left the building, right? Michigan's 2023 na- tional champions poured out onto NFL rosters and left the cupboard at Schem- bechler Hall bare, no? No, they respond, with a controlled fury. Not even close. The senior tailback from West Bloom- field, Mich., rushed for 497 yards and 5 touchdowns last year. He operated in the shadow of All-American Blake Corum, who pounded out 1,245 yards on the ground and stuck it in the end zone a Michigan-record 27 times. Sure, Edwards has enjoyed his moments. Two big early touchdown bursts against Washington put the Huskies on a leash in the national championship game. Ohio State fans still choke on their Skoal when flashbacks of the back of No. 7's jersey in 2022 pres- ent themselves. Now, it's different. Now Edwards gets first crack at becoming "The Man" in Michigan's backfield, after Hassan Haskins and Corum donned that mantle through the past three championship seasons. Can "The Don" himself grab the baton, and sprint away with Buckeyes, Trojans, Ducks and other schmucks trailing in his wake? This much is certain. The opportunity is wide open. He sees himself ready to lead, in more ways than one. Edwards isn't the only one thinking that way, either. "We have a nucleus of players that are coming back and taking the lead," stressed new U-M head coach Sherrone Moore. "You've seen guys step up in leadership roles. The coolest part is for a guy like Don- ovan Edwards to become a leader on the team and take action on and off the field. It's been awesome to watch. "It's crazy to think that he's a senior now. I just remember his recruiting video, where he had his hat in the winter and his puffy jacket on and we were wishing and hoping we'd get Donovan — we kind of knew. For him, guys like [senior safety] Rod Moore, [junior cornerback] Will Johnson, [junior tight end] Colston Loveland, [junior de- fensive tackle] Mason [Graham], [junior defensive tackle] Kenneth [Grant], all those guys taking leadership roles. That's really the piece that's helped us. We've found that the best teams are player-led teams. That's the kind of team we want." Edwards wants to take the lead, with an edge. He looks at the guys stepping into an offensive line that will feature all new starters and sees the same sort of attitude. Plenty to prove, and the biggest stage in college football to prove it. "We have a brand-new offense, right?" Edwards said. "A new offensive coordina- tor, a new head coach, new running backs coach, and Grant Newsome is the offen- sive line coach, from tight ends. Not only do they have something to prove, but for us as players, the only returning player is Colston. That's 10 brand-new guys that are starters and put into roles that haven't been asked of us since we've been here. "We have the underdog mentality, even though we just won a national champi- onship. I believe guys have something to prove individually, and once we move the individual 'I have a lot to prove' into 'WE have a lot to prove,' for each other and to each other, I guarantee that we're going to be successful. When you look across the board, everybody's talented. "Besides, at times, Colston and myself, nobody has really had the opportunity to be 'The Guy,' the guy that we're relying on. We have something to prove, and that really resonates with us." Insights From 2023 In the proving process, they can affirm the decisions of people who are calling their numbers now. They can also learn from their struggles to reach this point. Edwards certainly personalizes it, without a trace of bitterness. He seemed one step, one cut away from breaking many more big runs in 2023. Now he admits he tried too hard, at times. "There were a lot of runs I was very, very close to," he re- flected. "Where I'm at in my game is, I've found out that turn- ing 2 yards into 4 yards, or 6 yards, is basically the equiva- lent to making people be in awe. Keeping the chains a manageable distance is big. "I love the home runs. I love making big plays. But I realize, they just come through- out the course of the game. The pretty plays are the 8-yard runs, the 12-yard runs. But the ones that get people off their seats are A Time To LeAd Donovan Edwards Steps To The Fore Edwards, a senior tailback, has rushed for 1,662 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first three seasons at Michigan. He also has 68 career receptions for 714 yards and 3 TDs. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER "You've seen guys step up in leadership roles. The coolest part is for a guy like Donovan Edwards to become a leader on the team and take action on and off the eld. It's been awesome to watch." HEAD COACH SHERRONE MOORE