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Donovan Edwards on what makes Mike Hart a great coach: 'He's a commander of the army'

Anthony Broomeby:Anthony Broome•09/06/23•

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Mike Hart
(Photo by Jaime Crawford/Getty Images)

Michigan Wolverines junior running back Donovan Edwards and his position group are helmed by Mike Hart, who gets a chance to be a head coach at his alma mater on Saturday in the Week 2 showdown against UNLV.

Hart will take the baton from safeties coach/special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh at halftime and lead the Wolverines for the final two quarters as the team’s interim head coach with Jim Harbaugh serving the second of his three-game suspension by the school.

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Hart has long been viewed as a future head coach, and his future gets a soft launch on Saturday as the team’s lead decision-maker. Edwards spoke to the media on Tuesday night and revealed what Hart brings to the Michigan program.

“I love it because he’s going to be a fantastic head coach one day, wherever he goes,” Edwards said. “If he stays here, blessings. If he goes and gets a head coach job [elsewhere], it’s a major blessing for him. But I know personally that he’s a fantastic coach. He’s a commander of the army. He will be able to lead his troops and carry them into victory, carry them into battle at any opportunity that he gets. So I’m happy for him this week and I can’t wait to see what he does in the future as well. Because anywhere he goes, he’s going to be successful.”

Edwards and teammate Blake Corum have undergone steady transformations to their games since Hart arrived in 2021, and his past experience as a Michigan star back in his own right has added an extra layer of respect to his teachings.

“What makes him a good coach now is the way that he operates with his players and the relationships that he builds with his players,” Edwards said. “On the field, he’s played the game, so you have a little bit more respect for a coach who has done the same thing that you have done.

“In my case, I can do a bit of things better than he has done speed-wise. Agility, he got me though. It’s those things, like managing [Blake and I’s reps], making sure that we’re healthy, making sure that we’re okay. If there are times that he sees that we’re not okay he will tell us to go sit down because like he wants us to be at our best.

“That’s why we as running backs and the whole staff and program has major respect for him and he’s also involved in other areas too. He’s very engaging with everybody. So everybody has tremendous respect for him around here.”

Hart was the 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a three-time first-team All-Big Ten performer, so there is plenty of example and pedigree that he’s brought to the field as a position coach.

However, Edwards told the media he has not watched a ton of film on his position coach’s time as a Michigan player, but was impressed by what he has seen. He also laughed at some of Hart’s highlight plays being things that he would yell at his players for.

“I watched his Michigan tribute that he had and was like ‘Damn, this dude can play,'” Edwards said. “He actually had some game. You wouldn’t think a little short dude like him had a game, but that boy had some jukes to him.

“Speed? Nah! No speed to him.”

What’s next for U-M?

The Wolverines are back in action next week against UNLV at Michigan Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

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