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Michigan's National Championship Hero Edwards Partners with Raising Cane's

Wolverines' running back makes appearance at Houston location of restaurant chain

Michael Ehrlich

Michigan's National Championship Hero Edwards Partners with Raising Cane's
Michigan's National Championship Hero Edwards Partners with Raising Cane's /
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Michigan running back Donovan Edwards set the tone in the first quarter of the Wolverines' 34-13 National Championship victory on Monday - with a pair of 40+ yard rushing touchdowns - but first thing Tuesday morning he was running a new NIL deal before even leaving Houston.

Edwards was seen working the counter and drive-thru at a Houston location of Raising Cane's, promoting his newest brand partnership after dominating on college sports' biggest stage. The junior from West Bloomfield, Mich. surprised fans at the drive-thru, posed for photos and served up orders.

The Wolverines backup running back finished with 104 rushing yards and combined with Blake Corum for all of Michigan's touchdowns and made history as the first team in College Football Playoff title game history to have two rushers of over 100 yards.

The chicken restaurant change has consistently shown up around key college sports moments. Prior to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in December, winner Jayden Daniels of LSU and finalists Michael Penix Jr. of Washington and Bo Nix of Oregon worked at Raising Cane's flagship Times Square location.

Adding Raising Cane's to his likely-to-grow NIL portfolio, Edwards previously counted Powerade, Wolverine Boots, NASCAR and Lé Don collection LLC as brand partners.

"It's a beautiful feeling," Edwards shared with media after the National Championship. "Everything is just relief right now. "I was stressing myself. I was putting pressure on myself that I shouldn't. I just let everything be free."

Edwards finished his season with 497 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He is expected to take over full-time running back duties from All-American Blake Corum, who will be graduating as Michigan's all-time rushing touchdown leader.

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Michael Ehrlich
MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com

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