The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 39 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL a natural tackle, and his upside is really high. … We had two first-rounders [at Utah last year], and he reminds me ex- actly of those guys. "He's a big-time prospect … just has great feet, great balance. He was not there in spring, but [Harding] is excited about him." They still are, to be clear. Only it ap- pears now it will be some time before we see Babalola on Saturdays. — Chris Balas SAVION HITER ACCLIMATING TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL Savion Hiter, a former five-star re- cruit and No. 1 player nationally at his position, didn't do anything spectacular through two games. But he made some key plays, rushing 13 times for 21 yards and catching 4 passes for 40 yards. In a 17-10 victory over Oklahoma in Week 2, Hiter led the team with 41 receiving yards (after finishing with minus-1 re- ceiving yards against Western Michigan). Offensive coordinator Jason Beck lined Hiter up in the backfield for 28 snaps — sometimes next to sophomore quarter- back Bryce Underwood and junior run- ning back Jordan Marshall — in the slot for 4 snaps and out wide another 4. "I've grown comfortable since I got here, and they've kind of put me in two- backs and out wide and everything like that," Hiter said Sept. 15. "I've been get- ting adjusted, because I didn't really do any of that in high school." The 5-foot-11, 212-pound Louisa, Va., native was averaging only 1.6 yards per rush attempt, but he's still getting fa- miliar with the offensive system and his responsibilities within it. "Getting timing down with my line- men," Hiter said of his challenges. "Just patience from me as a whole. I do have to work on my patience a little bit to get behind blockers so I can score, for sure." Hiter rushed for 1,445 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior in high school, with the game oftentimes looking like it came easy to him. In college, it's differ- ent, which will take some adjusting. "Everybody is the same level as you, so you've got to compete," Hiter noted. "I mean, at the end of the day, football's football, so you've got to run through somebody's face." Marshall, who led Michigan with 932 rushing yards last season, had only rushed for 76 yards on 22 attempts, av- eraging 3.5 per carry, so he's not alone in getting off to a slow start on the ground. "He's been teaching me a lot," Hiter said of Marshall. "With [running backs] Coach [Tony] Alford being there, I feel like Jordan Marshall is one of my biggest role models here. He's been teaching me a lot. "I feel like we're a dynamic duo. When we get further into the season, it'll really show." Hiter believes his production will tick up as the fall rolls along. "During the season, I feel like we could get in a rhythm more in the run game," he said. "That also goes with the patience and the linemen and the timing with that, too. "As soon as I get in that rhythm, I mean, it's game over." As soon as he gets a lane and picks the Running back Savion Hiter is quickly acclimating to major college football in his true freshman season, including several solid receptions out of the backfield against then-No. 11 Oklahoma. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL