WATCH: Jim Harbaugh Shares Thoughts On Donovan Edwards Through Four Weeks
Prior to the season, the general belief around Ann Arbor was that the Wolverines would bully their way through the early part of the season with a steady dose of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. Although Michigan is a perfect 4-0 on the season and has won convincingly each week, it hasn't looked quite the way most expected - particularly when it comes to junior running back Donovan Edwards.
Although Corum is off to a relatively strong start with 351 yards and 8 touchdowns on 58 carries, Edwards has struggled to have a breakthrough performance through four weeks - amassing just 109 yards and 0 touchdowns on 33 attempts so far. After averaging 7.1 yards per carry in 2022, that number has dropped to just 3.3 yards per carry in 2023 - which is causing many within the Michigan fan base to question if there's something wrong with Edwards.
Photo: Christopher Breiler
Meeting with the media on Monday, head coach Jim Harbaugh addressed those concerns directly.
"He's good," said Harbaugh. "He's good like he's always been. We play multiple backs, statistics really don't mean anything to us. When it comes to all the players, it's what's good for them individually and what's good as a team. I see it from the individual and the big picture with the team."
"At the running back position, I just don't believe in a guy carrying the ball 30 times a game. It probably may not have some of the stats that some of the other backs have. I mean, even Blake - running the ball really good, 97 yards and we took him out of the game because I don't think he needs another 100 yard game as much as he needs to be healthy."
It's clear that Harbaugh is trying to make sure that both of his star backs are healthy down the stretch, a luxury he didn't have at the end of the 2022 season. Blake Corum, who at the time was a Heisman frontrunner, suffered a season ending leg injury in Week 11 against Illinois. Donovan Edwards missed a number of games due to a broken thumb, and played the majority of the season with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee.
This time around, Harbaugh wants to make sure that both of his top running backs are healthy down the stretch.
"The lifespan of a back, their career is - I don't now what it is on average, maybe eight, nine, ten years total including college," Said Harbaugh. "So while they're not getting paid, I don't like to take the tread off the tire. I'd like to keep that tread on the tire."
"So there's going to be games where one back may be featured more than another, that's kind of how it's been here."
There's no doubt that Michigan would love to have had more production from Edwards during the first four weeks, but Harbaugh doesn't seem too concerned about it moving forward.
"He's an outstanding back because he can do all the things. He can run outside the tackles, he can run inside the tackles, he can pass protect, and he can catch the ball out of the backfield and get open. So to answer your question, absolutely nothing wrong with Donovan Edwards."
