Michigan football’s Donovan Edwards has a huge goal for U-M's RBs
LA GRANGE, ILL. — Michigan sophomore running back Donovan Edwards looked like a natural working with the young football campers at Sunday’s 2022 BG 10 Champion Mega Football Camp near Chicago. He was in his element coaching, demonstrating techniques to the kids and with several of his teammates by his side.
The smile never seemed to leave his face.
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“I didn’t really go to camps like this. We went to a [former Detroit Lions and current Tampa Bay defensive tackle] Ndamukong Suh camp, but I’m not sure what year,” he said. “I was pretty young … probably like 2012.
“These kids have a lot of positive energy. The camp is running smoothly. It’s really fantastic just the way this camp is looking, the positive atmosphere.”
Much like his first season at Michigan, one that culminated in a Big Ten title and the program’s first ever playoff appearance. Edwards played a major role as U-M’s third back, carrying 35 times for 174 yards and three scores, and was even better as a receiver out of the backfield.
After Edwards caught 10 passes for 170 yards against Maryland, accounting for most of his 265 yards receiving for the year, head coach Jim Harbaugh dished out some high praise.
“I’ll make this statement, and I don’t like to make a lot of big, hyperbolic statements or whatever — it was a record,” Harbaugh said. “It was a great performance; an all-time record. But, as I told you earlier, this will be a blip on the radar of the career of Donovan Edwards. He’s destined for great things.”
Graduated linebacker Josh Ross did him one better.
“That dude was one of the most mature freshman I’ve ever seen,” he said.
But he’s still got more to give. While he got a taste of big time college football last year, it wasn’t satisfying on a personal level.
“It was just getting the overall feel for the game. The difference between high school and college is a huge difference, so I’m getting comfortable in the system of college football,” he said.
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And now, he noted, they have two offensive coordinators in Matt Weiss and Sherrone Moore. He only said “we’ll see” when asked if he expected the offense to look different this year.
Edwards does know one thing, though — he and Michigan junior running back Blake Corum have high goals. The sophomore felt “pretty good” about his spring, but he’s not satisfied. He and Corum won’t be, he said, unless they accomplish one huge goal.
“We work together and motivate each other because we want to be the best duo in the country,” he said — and if they are, he added, the offensive line will have a say. They had an outstanding spring, too.
“They are fantastic. [Heck] man, they are the real deal,” he said. “They’re the reason we look good. All the credit goes to them. Nothing towards us. It’s all them.”
He and his Michigan teammates still have all summer to prepare for fall camp. Sunday, though, he was enjoying a weekend helping other kids prepare to meet their dreams, and loving every minute of it.
