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Too many are sleeping on Michigan football RB Kalel Mullings

Michigan football has Donovan Edwards but the Wolverines have another big-time running back in Kalel Mullings.

By Chris Peterson

Michigan running back Kalel Mullings runs the ball during the first quarter of the College Football Playoff national championship game against Washington at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024.
Michigan running back Kalel Mullings runs the ball during the first quarter of the College Football Playoff national championship game against Washington at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. / Melanie Maxwell / USA TODAY NETWORK
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While everyone who offers thoughts on the 2024 Michigan football team seems to address the quarterback position and rightfully so, one of the biggest reasons for optimism is the run game.

Michigan football had arguably the best quarterback it has ever had in college in J.J. McCarthy and that was a huge reason U-M won the Natty and three straight Big Ten titles.

However, the offense was built on the identity of running the football and if Michigan is going to have success again in 2024, the Wolverines have to be one of the best rushing teams in the Big Ten.

There will be enough pressure on whoever is the starting quarterback with a dominant run game, but if the ground game is average, it will make the quarterback's job even harder.

Kalel Mullings will add to an elite run game

The good news is that despite losing five starters, Michigan football should have one of the best offensive lines in the Big Ten. I also think the Wolverines have a running back room that's right there with any in the Big Ten.

Donovan Edwards is the headliner. The cover athlete of EA Sports College Football 25, is poised for a monster season. He could easily hit 1,500 total yards. But the Wolverines have other quality running backs and it starts with Kalel Mullings.

The former linebacker is 6-foot-2, 239 pounds, and rushed for 222 yards last season. He also averaged 6.1 yards per attempt. You might think Mullings just produced numbers in garbage time but he rushed for more than 40 yards in three different Big Ten games (Nebraska, Rutgers, and Minnesota).

Mullings also had a key third-down reception in the Rose Bowl which offered more of a glimpse into what the senior running back can do. It remains to be seen what his role is like this season but there's no doubt that Mullings will get more carries and yards.

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Mullings doesn't have the accolades of some others, but he's probably the best backup running back in the Big Ten that nobody knows about and he'll be a huge piece of what the Wolverines hope is an elite rushing attack once again.

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