Michigan notebook: No major injuries, third running back contenders, Andrel Anthony, more

Michigan Wolverines football is more than two weeks into fall camp. The Maize and Blue will open up the season with Colorado State at The Big House Sept. 3. Head coach Jim Harbaugh met with the media Wednesday afternoon and had plenty to say.

Here are some more of his comments, on the health of his team, who could be the third running back and more.

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‘No major injuries’

A few Michigan players have been in and out or limited due to being banged up to a minor degree, but the Wolverines are yet to suffer a major injury. Two weeks into fall camp, that’s as good as can be expected. Harbaugh is stressing the importance of recovery to his team, and it appears to be heeding the message.

“Another good day today,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. “We’ve done some good hitting, we’ve done every possible phase and situation — offensively, defensively, special teams — and there are no long-term injuries on the team so far.

“That’s something that they work at. They take care of themselves, they take care of the team.”

Third running back

Last season, Michigan’s third running back behind Hassan Haskins and now-junior Blake Corum was Donovan Edwards, then a freshman. Now, though, the situation is much more unclear. The Maize and Blue are in a great spot with Corum and Edwards headlining the room, but as we saw last season, especially with a team that loves to run the ball as much as Michigan, having a third guy is needed.

The Maize and Blue have experimented with junior Kalel Mullings, a linebacker, moving over to offense. It was interesting Harbaugh didn’t mention him among the options to be the third running back, though, even after praising his ability to play both ways in an Aug. 8 interview on the In The Trenches podcast.

That could mean nothing, or it could be a sign that Michigan’s two other primary contenders there — sophomore Tavierre Dunlap, who redshirted last season, and freshman CJ Stokes, who enrolled in June — are taking steps forward.

“That’s a good question,” Harbaugh said when asked who’s leading as Michigan’s third running back. “That’s a really good question.”

Then, he listed the names.

“Tavierre Dunlap, CJ Stokes is going to be right there,” Harbaugh began. “He could be that kind of guy. [junior walk-on] Isaiah Gash, [senior walk-on] Leon Franklin is pretty darn good, too. Those are the guys that would be contending for that third back spot.”

It’s impressive for Stokes to be in that contending group, considering he just arrived months ago and didn’t go through Michigan spring ball, but he’s caught Harbaugh’s eye.

“He can make the shallow cut, like water rolling off the table, and then accelerate through the hole and then go hit the soft shoulder of the tackler,” Harbaugh said of Stokes. “He gets there extremely quick, and he’s got a real burst through the line of scrimmage, knows how to get his pads down. It’s really been good.”

Andrel Anthony compared to Michigan great

Michigan wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy compared sophomore wide receiver Andrel Anthony to Braylon Edwards, the program’s all-time leader in career receptions (252; 76 more than second-place Marquise Walker), receiving yards (3,541; nearly 500 more than second-place Anthony Carter) and touchdown receptions (39).

That, of course, is high praise — about as high as a sophomore with 248 receiving yards and three touchdowns to his name can get.

The good and great Michigan receivers typically break out as sophomores, though, including Edwards, who had just three receptions and 38 yards in six games as a freshman. And Anthony showed flashes of greatness last season, including at Michigan State, when he caught six balls for 165 yards with two scores and notched U-M’s lone touchdown in the Orange Bowl.

Harbaugh — who’s not into making public comparisons by nature — didn’t shy away from this one.

“That’s probably a pretty darn good comparison right there,” Harbaugh said. “I think Andrel is somebody that — just keep doing what you’re doing, Andrel. It is working.

“And then when I see that there are things he wants to get a little bit better at, he works a little bit harder at, and he avoids getting the big head. So, he’s right on track. He’s going to be a heck of a good player — already is.”

What is Fred Jackson up to?

In relatively quiet fashion, Michigan hired Fred Jackson this summer as an offensive analyst who will assist Harbaugh with operations and game plans. Jackson was on the U-M coaching staff in some capacity — spending most of his time mentoring running backs and also serving as associate head coach — from 1992-2014. He knows the program inside and out and has been helpful from the get-go.

“He always picks up one or two things every day and is a very experienced coach that will come tell me what he sees,” the Michigan head man said. “He’s not afraid to do that, and that’s invaluable to our staff and to me as a head coach.”

Harbaugh has never been afraid of surrounding himself with trusted agents, and Jackson is just the latest example.