Michigan RB Donovan Edwards on involvement in pass game: 'The best 11 players are going to be on the field'

Michigan Wolverines football running back Donovan Edwards agrees with his position coach and run game coordinator, U-M all-time leading rusher Mike Hart, that he could start at slot receiver for the Wolverines and almost anywhere in America. He lined up at slot or wideout for 44 passing snaps last season, catching 18 passes for 200 yards and 2 scores to go along with his 991 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground.

Michigan has arguably the nation’s top running back duo — if you ask Edwards, he says there’s no argument — with him and senior Blake Corum, who shocked the college football world by returning for the 2023 campaign. Both are considered two of Michigan’s top offensive players, particularly when it comes to the skill positions, and the coaches have expressed that the Wolverines are “more dangerous” if both are heavily involved.

Asked if he expects to be more involved with the pass game, where he’s flourished with 465 career receiving yards, standing eighth all time among Michigan running backs, Edwards showed some excitement about the possibility.

“The way I look at it is, the best 11 players are going to be on the field,” the Michigan running back said. “Whoever that is at that time, whatever is best for the team, it will have to be those players, and I respect that, 100 percent. But the coaches know what I can bring to the table, and I’m for sure confident that they will utilize my skill set to the highest potential and allow me and every single person on offense help the team win, because that’s what’s important.”

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Michigan ran two-running back sets on just 15 plays last season, according to Sports Info Solutions. When both Corum and Edwards were healthy at the same time, they mostly complemented each other by rotating in — Corum the featured ball-carrier and Edwards spelling him. There were also times, of course, when Edwards lined up as a receiver. Before Corum went down with a major knee injury against Illinois in November, Edwards had logged more than 30 offensive snaps in just one game.

From the sounds of it during this Michigan fall camp, though, it’s clear the Wolverines believe Corum and Edwards can and will see the field at the same time.

“His touches could come as we can hand him the ball off, we could toss it to him, we could throw it to him,” Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said this summer. “He’s definitely somebody that we gotta get the ball to, he’s gotta eat because it makes us better.”

“Absolutely. I would hope so,” Edwards said of playing at the same time as Corum. “That’s the coaches’ plan. I don’t want to say anything too specific, but yeah, I hope so.

“You can’t cover me and worry about Blake at the same time. You gotta pick and choose. You gotta pick and choose the matchup that you want to lose at.”

Edwards said the duo with Corum — who rushed for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns last season, earning unanimous All-America honors — will allow each of them to stay healthy and without too large of a workload. Edwards has missed time with injuries each of his first two seasons in college, and he’s out to prove it to NFL teams that he can stay on the field consistently, plus it’ll help Michigan win games.

“If we’re both healthy together, we’re going to push the train and go for a long ride, and we’re not stopping,” Edwards said.

Edwards also believes that showcasing his receiving ability will make him more attractive in the eyes of the NFL, and he hasn’t been shy about his goal to make it to the professional ranks, perhaps after his junior season at Michigan this fall.

“Same thing with Bijan Robinson, too,” Edwards said after being asked about Detroit Lions rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs, a strong pass-catcher, being picked No. 12 overall this past spring. “He has fantastic hands, as well. That’s what the NFL is looking for, like a Christian McCaffrey type, Jahmyr Gibbs type — and I believe that I fit that description perfectly.

“There aren’t many flaws in my game, and I’m very confident about that. If I’m able to produce in the receiving game, I feel like that will help build my draft stock, because that’s what the NFL is looking for — running backs that can run, catch, pass block and what they can do after they have the ball is well.”

Edwards didn’t say that this coming campaign will for sure be his last at Michigan, leaving it somewhat open ended, after sharing in the past that he hopes to put himself in position to depart early for the draft.

“Depends how I play and me staying healthy,” Edwards said. “The No. 1 thing is God’s plan. If He tells me that I can take my talents to the NFL, I would love to do that. If I have to stay back for another year and continue to go for a fourth championship, I would do that. So it’s God’s plan, not my plan.”