Michigan Football: Predicting Donovan Edwards rushing totals in 2021

For the longest time, Michigan football freshman running back Donovan Edwards looked like he was destined to go to Ohio State.

To have a running back so close to home leave the state of Michigan and go to U-M’s biggest rival would have hurt deeply. But then 5-star running back TreVeyon Henderson committed to OSU, and it pushed Donovan Edwards right into Jim Harbaugh’s lap. The entire Michigan football fanbase breathed a collective sigh of relief.

And for once in a long while, Michigan finished the job and got a major recruiting victory.

Right before Donovan Edwards finished carrying his high school team to a state championship (no pun intended), he was bumped up to five-star status. To say there’s a lot of buzz surrounding Donovan Edwards is an understatement.

Edwards is a man amongst boys. He makes the biggest linebackers and defensive backs look foolish on the field. He has more speed than people realize. He’s built like a freight train and very durable and productive. He is the second-most prized recruit of Michigan’s 2021 recruiting class, right behind five-star QB J.J. McCarthy.

The great thing about Edward’s situation this year though is he doesn’t have to look like a superstar right away.

Oh, he will show flashes here and there this season and may get an increased workload as the season goes, but he probably won’t be the featured back this season unless injuries occur. Michigan football can bring him along as slowly as they want because you don’t want to rush future superstars before they’re ready to ball.

Michigan has other very talented backs besides Edwards, like Hassan Haskins, the ever-reliable senior leader. U-M has Blake Corum, the Olympic track speed back. Lastly, Michigan has Tavierre Dunlap, a smaller, but elusive back.

Just like any position, the transition from high school to college is never easy for any athlete. Yes, some athletes may get on the field and shine right away, but that’s only because they have to right away. They are thrust into the starting gig from Day 1.

Donovan Edwards has to learn an entire playbook, and from what previous players at the program have said, Jim Harbaugh’s playbooks are pretty complex. He came from the NFL after all and brought a lot of NFL philosophies with him. It will take time for Edwards to learn what he is supposed to do and where he’s supposed to be on the field.

The running back is not just responsible for only seeing a hole created by the offensive line and going through it. They have many other tasks that are asked of them.

Edwards has to learn the playbook first off. Then, he needs to work on his route tree and route running because U-M plans to use him as a mismatch RB/WR hybrid in the future.

Then, he has to learn how to block for the U-M rushing and passing attack and pick up blitzes and stunts from the opposing defense. Then, lastly, he will need to learn how to find the hole and run against men 3+ years older than him every day in practice and in games. Oh, and he may be asked to be on special teams occasionally as well.

So no U-M fans, it’s not the end of the world if Donovan Edwards doesn’t take the world by storm right away. His dominant games will come eventually. He needs to learn how to be a college football player first, just like J.J. McCarthy. To be honest, it will be so much sweeter if McCarthy AND Edwards are starters and dominant at the same time. So, let’s not rush them along.

Predicting Edwards rushing total in 2021

As for Edward’s freshman stats, as I mentioned earlier, I expect him to have plenty of flashes in his freshman campaign. Depending on depth and injuries (cause U-M always seems to get hit with the injury bug to an important player) Edwards may even be a brief starter for a game or two.

But because Michigan has two other upperclassmen backs on the roster, and we all know Harbaugh loves his upperclassmen and riding them, don’t expect Edwards to get 20-30 carries a game, nor should he.

Expect Harbaugh to bring Edwards along slowly at first, and when Edwards gets more comfortable as the season goes on, his workload will increase (still not majorly though unless Edwards is ready to go immediately). As well all know, Harbaugh doesn’t want a Derrick Henry-type of running back who can carry the ball 25-35 times a game. He prefers a committee approach.

In terms of depth, I expect Hassan Haskins to start. He is the senior back and is the most experienced and consistent and will be ready to go right away. I believe Blake Corum will be the No. 2 back. His workload tapered off at the end of the 2020 season, so expect Harbaugh to ramp that back up again. And lastly, there’s Donovan Edwards, the presumed No. 3 back.

As far as stats go, I believe Edwards will have around 300-400 rushing yards this year as a freshman. Depending on injuries and his workload, he may sneak in a game or two with 100+ yards rushing, but I really don’t see it happening more than once or twice all year (unless again, he just hits the ground running and dominates right away).

When this would happen will probably be early in the season against the supremely inferior opponents like Western Michigan, and Northern Illinois, when U-M is up by like 30+ points and brings in their backups.

I will say this though. If there’s any freshman that could make an instant impact and dominate right away, it’s definitely Donovan Edwards. He is an absolute athletic freak. A few months ago, we heard rumblings of how good he’d been during spring practices, but you have to take those rumors with a grain of salt. It is just practice after all.

If Edwards takes the world by storm right away, amazing. If he doesn’t, it’s completely fine and much more realistic. His time will come. The hope is for it to coincide with J.J. McCarthy so that U-M would have an elite 1-2 punch.