For our Position Breakdown series, we will look at each position group for Michigan Football as we head toward spring practices.
How does the current depth chart shake out? What are the storylines or things you should watch heading into the spring and, eventually, the season? What's the X factor, whether it's a player, coach, or situation, that could change how the group looks?
Let's talk ball carriers
POSITION BREAKDOWN SERIES
Quarterback
Running Back
Wide Reciever
Tight End
Offensive Line
EDGE
Defensive Tackle
Linebacker
Cornerback
Safety
DEPTH CHART
WHAT'S THE STORY?
The task for 2024 is replacing arguably the greatest running back in Michigan Football history. Blake Corum is heading to the NFL, but the running back room is still great.
Donovan Edwards is returning after a season where he said he struggled mentally returning from an injury. A healthy spring following a two-touchdown performance in the National Championship game should get Edwards on track to return to the elite runner we've seen him be.
Some may think it's obvious Edwards will be RB1, but there is a question about who will be the primary back. What made Corum so valuable to the offense was early down success to keep Michigan on schedule, and short yardage conversions, first downs and touchdowns.
There is no doubt that Edwards is a home run hitter, but he hasn't shown the ability to get the extra yards on early downs, the 3-5 yard runs to set the offense up. Edwards may still be best used as the backfield's RB2 and top pass-catching threat.
Edwards was bouncing back from an injury and Mullings was dealing with injuries throughout the season, so these numbers aren't the complete story but they are what we have. Mullings got a ridiculous 4.14 yards after contact per attempt compared to Edwards' 2.67. Mullings also forced more missed tackles, getting one on 27% of his rushing attempts compared to Edwards' 11%. Over 29% of Edwards' yardage came on long breakaway runs. When it comes to finding the sticks, Mullings got a first down on nearly half of his carries.
The counter argument of course is the one time we saw Edwards has RB1 in Michigan's last three games of the 2022 season he was elite. Let's take a look at those games with these metrics.
The breakaway percentage is misleading because of 85, 65, 60, and 54-yard runs. You obviously take that all day. The yards after contact beat 2023 Mullings, the missed tackles forced per attempt is nearly identical, but the first downs per attempt is lower.
It will be interesting to see if we get any clues from usage in the spring or if we have to wait and see in the fall.
X FACTOR
Benjamin Hall was the star of last year's spring practice and Maize and Blue Spring game. The freshman showed up in incredible shape and took full advantage of premium reps, with many of the top backs dealing with injuries.
Hall himself had to deal with injuries in the regular season, which led to his first year being a redshirt. We got our best look at Hall when he rushed 9 times for 58 yards against Indiana.
Last season Hall was 5'11" 234 lbs, but he carried it well. Hall has already been compared to Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum by members of the staff. While we haven't seen it in sustained game action, Hall is smooth but physical. He shows patience and vision, and while no one can cut like Corum, Hall's strong lower body allows him to run with a similar style.
Freshman Jordan Marshall has gotten a lot of Corum comparisons himself, and he could make some noise when he joins the team in the fall. Hall's best chance to earn not just a RB3 role, but a role as a consistent contributor is to put together another strong spring before Marshall arrives. I expect Hall to be the star of the spring and be too good to be kept off the field come the regular season.
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