'We're Being Hunted Now': Michigan's Donovan Edwards Confident Heading Into 2023

Entering his junior year in Ann Arbor, Michigan Football's Donovan Edwards opens up about his excitement for the upcoming season.

With the kickoff of the 2023 season just 15 days away, the hype and excitement surrounding the Michigan Football program is at an all-time high. One of the biggest reasons for all of the excitement is due to the elite running back tandem of senior Blake Corum and junior Donovan Edwards. 

During a recent interview, Edwards opened up about his early days at Michigan and his excitement for the upcoming season. 

"My feelings were hurt my freshman year," said Edwards. "Expecting to be the man, thinking I'm going to get all of these touches...it doesn't happen. Playing behind the great Hassan Haskins, Blake 'The Great' Corum, playing behind them. I'm never going to forget how humbling that experience was, and I'm grateful for it because I always believe that everything happens for a reason."

A confident @DEdwards__ is ready to produce at an even higher level in 2023!#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/zZALA6fkAa

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) August 18, 2023

"I've always been confident my whole life, but I had to get humbled to be brought back up my freshman year, sophomore year, to now."

Although he's still technically playing a backup role to Corum, Edwards said he's still preparing as if he's No. 1 on the depth chart.

"I'm not going to allow myself to fall victim to it. I want to do what is right. And how I prepare myself to be running back one is, if somebody goes down, I'm the one that's going to be called up - and I don't want to be the one that's called up and I don't know what I'm doing."

Although Edwards will certainly be a major factor in the rushing attack, his ability to be a threat in the passing game means he'll likely see more snaps in 2023. Earlier this year, head coach Jim Harbaugh indicated that Wolverines will focus a little more on the passing game this year - something that excites Edwards. 

"I love it. I'm like 365 yards away from breaking the Michigan receiving record from a running back, and you know I know that."

Christopher Breiler

As far as the upcoming season is concerned, Edwards knows that the No. 2 ranked Wolverines will have a target on their back all year long, and he's looking forward to seeing how his team handles the pressure. 

"I'm excited to see how this team handles what we're going to have to handle. We're being hunted now. So I'm excited to see how we're going to respond to that, how we're going to be so in tune with ourselves that we're not worried about what other people say, think, or try to do to us. So I'm very excited, confident for myself, and more importantly for this whole team overall."