Much has been made about Michigan's running back room throughout the offseason with Blake Corum returning to partner with Donovan Edwards for another year.
Now, with both players healthy to start the year, the talk is finally over and football has begun.
With the country getting a small taste of Edwards and Corum playing together, Edwards showed that he is capable of playing multiple roles for the offense on the field. Whether it's lining up in the backfield by himself, lining up alongside Corum or lining out wide as a receiver, Edwards is going to do whatever he's asked.
Just as much as he's working on his own game on the field, he's also working on it off the field as well.
"Whatever the team needs me to do I am always going to stay ready," Edwards said. "I'll play quarterback if the team needs me to. I talked to Coach Moore about it, please believe. I'll read the coverages if you need me to. But, for me, overall, I'm just sharpening my game in every element.
"Catching the ball, being the best running back that I can, being the best teammate, being the best leader that I can be. Everything that I'm doing right now, everything that I already can do, I'm just adding to it."
It would've been easy for Edwards to throw in the towel and transfer somewhere he could get the lead running back role. Any team in the country would be clamoring to have a back like him.
Instead, he was happy to see Corum to return, he wanted to work with his backfield partner.
A lot of that has to do with the culture in the room already established and the two friends will continue to lean on each other to make each other better.
"For one there's no selfishness in our running back room," Edwards said. "I think Blake went through it with Hassan and I went through it for two years. We're both extremely talented running backs and the only thing for us we need to do is trust the coaches. Trust the coaches that they're going to put us both in situations where we're both going to be successful. We trust the coaches, we believe in each other and there's no selfishness to each other. We're friends first before being competitors with each other on the football field. We're always uplifting each other.
"Today, in the film room, just watching film together how we always do. Teaching each other things we can both add to our game. Both of us become more dynamic as football players with each other."
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