Michigan football standouts, from ‘special’ to ‘gift from the gods’
INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has amassed a wealth of talent on his eighth team. While he also lost some elite players from last year, the U-M staff will have plenty to work with to try to replace them in 2022.
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The coaches might need the offense to carry them through the first part of the schedule (though the first three games aren’t particularly daunting), even if Harbaugh doesn’t think so. He said during Big Ten Media Day Thursday he feels the defense could be even better than last year’s though it’s clear the offense has the star power – on paper.
“The quarterback position as deep and as good as you can ever hope. Same with the running backs,” the Michigan coach said. “Receivers … there are six right off the bat you say could be your leading receiver as the season goes on, and then the three freshmen coming in.
“Tight ends are really deep — playmakers. Erick All, in my opinion, his biggest competition for being the best tight end in the country will be Luke Schoonmaker. Luke Schoonmaker’s competition to be best tight end in America will be Erick All.”
One young Michigan skill position player in particular is ready for a breakout year, he added.
“Freshman year to sophomore year there’s a real opportunity for a huge jump, because you’re just doing everything one more time,” Harbaugh continued. “You’re doing everything again for a second time, unless you get one of those sophomores where they take a step back and start reading press clippings or getting a big head.
“But Donovan Edwards, he’s one of those outliers. Just keep doing you, Donovan. That’s all I can say to Donovan Edwards. Everything he does, every way he does it, every way he attacks things … just his personality, just being around him. You can’t have any more favorite player than Donovan Edwards.
“He’s one of those that comes around every so often. Every generation, so to speak. He’s super special.”
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Like the Big Ten championship Michigan win over Iowa in which he took a flat pass and threw a perfectly placed deep ball to Roman Wilson for a touchdown, he’s always doing the unexpected, Harbaugh noted.
“I don’t know what he’s going to do. You don’t know what he’s going to do. He may tell you what he’s going to do,” Harbaugh said. “But it may be rolling out throwing some pass 50 yards downfield on a dime. Making some cut, making some catch. He can literally do it all. Incredible balance, speed, vision, toughness, and he’s just one of those guys.
“We’ve got a bunch of guys like this. They’re my favorite guys. They’re the dreamers. Just dream big. They’re the ones that usually make it in this business.”
The Michigan special teams have a chance to be “really good,” he said, led by kicker Jake Moody and punter Brad Robbins. But he called Caden Kolesar their “best special teams player.” And there’s a freshman coming in he called a “gift from the gods.” While he wouldn’t say who, he told Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman today frosh defensive tackle Kenneth Grant weighed 349 pounds and ran a sub-5.0 40-yard dash.
In short, Michigan is loaded with talent this year, and for the next several years, it appears. The best of the Jim Harbaugh era might still be yet to come.
