Donovan Edwards, a running back for Michigan, will return in 2024, giving the Wolverines a significant offensive boost.
Running back Evan Edwards of Michigan said on Monday that he will play his final season for the Wolverines in 2024. After finishing his junior year with 497 yards and five touchdowns—behind Blake Corum as the team’s top rusher—Edwards helped Michigan win its first national championship since 1997, finishing 15-0 overall.
While Corum led the Wolverines’ ground attack in 2023 with 1,245 yards and 27 touchdowns, Edwards also left his imprint in Michigan’s 34-13 triumph against No. 2 Washington in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Edwards saved his best effort of the year for last, using six carries to rush for a season-high 104 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2022, Edwards was a sophomore when Corum sustained a knee injury late in the season, which led to a major increase in his role. During the Wolverines’ final three games, Edwards was put in the spotlight. He made his debut with 216 yards and two touchdowns in a rivalry victory against Ohio State.
Subsequently, he ran for 100 yards in the Big Ten Championship Game against Purdue and in the College Football Playoff semifinals against TCU.
Edwards has amassed 1,662 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns in 38 games during the previous three seasons at Michigan. He has also added 715 yards and three receiving scores.
Wolverines gain a crucial boost to their rushing attack
Unless Michigan was able to get an experienced running back through the transfer portal for the 2024 season, Edwards’ return was their only realistic hope to compete after Corum left for the NFL. With his choice on Monday, the Wolverines received exactly that.
Although Edwards can’t quite match Corum’s more than 3,000 career running yards since moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan, the sparks he’s shown in the last two seasons give hope that, if he plays RB1 the entire time, 2024 could be a truly breakout year for Edwards.
Edwards’ performance at the CFP National Championship was nothing short of a dream come true, and he should be back to full strength following his 2022 muscle-torn patellar tendon recovery.
When Michigan defends its championship in 2024, it doesn’t look like an easy ride ahead. The Wolverines will face USC, Washington, and Oregon among the Big Ten newcomers in addition to Texas at home in Week 2 in a major nonconference game.
Additionally, there’s the customary rivalry match between Michigan State and Ohio State. However, securing Edwards’s continued employment is the first step toward maintaining some continuity, regardless of all the other changes that might be made to the show during the offseason.
