The new lead running back talks about how he got his groove back.
The Michigan Wolverines will be getting a key piece of their offense back in 2024 in running back Donovan Edwards, who finally gets an opportunity to lead the backfield after splitting carries with Blake Corum over the last couple years.
For Edwards, replacing Corum will not be easy. The Marshall, Virginia native was a back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher in 2022 (1,463 yards) and 2023 (1,245). He nearly posted another 1,000-yard rushing season in 2021 (952), as Michigan led the NCAA in rushing touchdowns that season with 39. With Corum’s help, the Wolverines would replicate that same feat in 2023 with 40 rushing touchdowns, and also finished second in 2022 with 41.
Simply put, Corum spent the last three seasons as the offensive identity of a program that won the Big Ten three times and a National Championship. So where does that leave Edwards in 2024?
Last season, Edwards had 119 carries for 497 yards and five touchdowns — all marks that were well below expectations. While he was still seen as a potential top-100 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, a chance to regain the fire in his heart and possibly helm the role of lead back were factors that contributed heavily to his return.
“I’ve always had this fire in my heart, and the fire and my heart started COVID year going into my senior year of high school,” Edwards said on this week’s In The Trenches podcast. “Working out, watching ‘The Last Dance’ with Michael Jordan and what the Chicago Bulls were doing. And that just inspired me, that made the fire in my heart continue to grow, right? And I’ll be honest, I kind of lost it like going into my junior year. Not feeling great, I’m not getting the carries that I want. But it clicked for me again, that fire in my heart was there, it became evident that — it was a practice that it just showed back up.”
“So, I’m praying that everything is happening for me because all it’s going to do is just continue to push me as a player and as a man, you know? I can’t sit up here and say that I haven’t faced adversity because I have. Whether the adversity has made me a man and adversity is gonna make me a better football player. So I’m still confident that — don’t mistake my confidence for arrogance, but I’m confident within myself and my abilities and my capabilities. So, my obligation is to just continue to bring everybody else up with me, because as long as we can do that, we will be successful.”
With Corum off to the NFL, Edwards regaining his fire is crucial for Michigan football in 2024. Luckily, according to Edwards, that fire has already returned — and did so just in time for some of his biggest moments last season.
“Just in a practice,” Edwards said. “I think it was before one of our rivals’ games or something. Something just switched within. I was taking a knee, just like just having my head down. And I felt the fire just emerge and back into my body. So I’m happy that that happened. It’s up to me just to continue to work every single day to make today better than it was yesterday and to make tomorrow better than today. So that’s what I live by and that’s what I’m going to continue to do. To help this team win and to bring guys up and to emerge them as leaders as well.”
So what happened in the first place to throw him off his groove? Through 14 games of his junior year, he had gained just 393 yards on 113 carries — 3.48 yards per carry — and scored only three touchdowns; that was after rushing for 520 yards on 70 carries in Michigan’s final three games of 2022, part of a 991-yard, nine-touchdown sophomore year. Edwards credits his absence from spring ball specifically as one of the primary confidence-killers on his 2023 season.
“I think that last year, spring ball, not being able to participate in spring set me back tremendously,” Edwards said. “What spring ball is about is being able to get your confidence, being able to get a feel for the game, and I wasn’t able to get there last year. Coming up with a knee surgery, I didn’t start practicing again until August, and I was still having other issues within my body that I’m still working through today.”
“When you’re not feeling good — now I feel great. I feel like my cuts are looking better. I’m playing better — the speed is back and the speed is where it needs to be. And I put on 14 more pounds. So being able to stay healthy all last year and to be able to participate in spring ball right now is continuing to boost my confidence.”
Edwards won’t be expected to replace Corum’s production on his own. Michigan has a stable of backs that have been patiently waiting for their opportunity to receive meaningful snaps.
“I think Kalel (Mullings) is a lot like Hassan (Haskins) — I think everybody sees that,” Edwards said. “I think that Ben Hall has some Blake Corum in him. I think Cole Cabana has some me in him. I think (Bryson) Kuzdzal has a mixture of what I have and what Blake has.”
“‘Downhill (Henry) Donahue’ is ‘Downhill Donahue.’ There’s no other Downhill Donahue. The nickname itself explains what ‘Downhill Donahue’ is all about.”
When it comes to replacing Corum, no one player will be able to replicate his production. But maybe, with a dynamic running back room, Michigan can recreate Corum’s success in the run game.
“It’s very diverse. Multiple people can do multiple things,” Edwards said. “You’re gonna be surprised when you see somebody doing something outside of their role because everybody can do everything. I’m excited for this group. This group has been through a lot together. We’ve grown together. We’ve seen the highs together, we’ve seen the lows together. As a team aspect, all we have to do is continue to build the camaraderie with each other. Losing to Georgia, losing to TCU, winning the national championship — we’ve been at the highest pinnacle and we’ve been at the lowest pinnacle. All we have to do is get better, push one another, push one another. Be happy for the other man’s success and the sky’s the limit for us.”