Everything Donovan Edwards said on the In the Trenches podcast
On his thoughts on the football program
The team looks great now. I know I said earlier it's going to be very hard to lose very key guys who have been here in this program for four or three, five years laying down a foundation and have been through the peaks and have been through the low points. Sad to see them go. Just those guys, the leaders that we had last year, uplifted our standards that allowed the guys like me and the rest of the other leaders like Max Bredeson, Myles Hinton, Will, Mason, Ernest, Makari, Rod, guys who have played big-time football. Who have seen low points as well as losing to Georgia and TCU. It now gives us the opportunity to lead. Now, I say that we look really good for losing key guys. Guys who are in positions that they weren't in last year or haven't been, overcoming their adversity as well. Now that their numbers are called, now there are some guys that are on the ones ones, some guys that are on the twos, they're climbing up the depth chart now. All it is for us is to continuously just being able to stay humble and stay gritty and continue to grind and to accomplish our goals. As long we continue to have high leadership, as long as we can continue to have open ears and an open mind and an open heart then we'll be successful. There's no doubt in my mind that we will be able to accomplish our goals, it's just the fact that can we continue — even though the days are hard, can we continue to lock in? Can we make our M's straight in the weight room, can we do the small things right? Can we stay off the list? I'm very confident in this team so it's going to be a great challenge for us this upcoming year.
On what making the M's straight in the weight room means
What the people don't know, say in the fourth quarter going into overtime against Alabama, it's those smaller details that allow us to be successful. That all starts in the offseason. Coach Herb had laid the foundation of small things like making your shoes perfect, making the M's, the dumbbells, perfect in the weight room. If you walk into our weight room right now, everything is perfect, neat and straight. That's the way that we live by and that's also going to resemble onto the field as well. It's just those things that Coach Herb laid the foundation and J-Tress continues to implement and the leaders as well continue to embody it and spread it upon the other guys. Make this culture continuously be strong. That's what makes us successful and when times are hard, we just revert back to that training.
On how important is the time spent with the S&C program
Honestly, it starts in our weight room, just being able to be physically strong. God forbid, not many injuries, that all starts in the weight room. Those details and locking in goes to the meeting room and it goes up to the football field. For us at Michigan, our pinnacle starts in the weight room. That's all being bought in, that's having a tremendous leader with what Coach Herb was and now it's passed onto J-Tress, who is still a tremendous leader as well, everybody is just buying into that. I completely agree, it's been similar for the past 20-30 years. Coach Harbaugh implemented it, too. Uniforms being tucked, you're not going to be out there with your jersey tucked up and your shirt untucked. You're going to have the jersey untucked. Same thing with Coach Moore, Coach Moore is doing the exact same thing. Nothing is changing.
On the RB room and being 'the guy'
Honestly, for me, personally, it started with Coach Hart. He told me that there's going to be a point in time where I'm going to be that guy in the running back room. For me now, I am that guy. When Coach Alford came in, he told me that I am in charge of the room unless I can't prove myself otherwise that he's going to take that from me, he's going to put somebody else in charge. Just for me being able to watch Hassan lead, watch Blake lead and now it's my turn to do so. We all have different leadership qualities, different traits, different tactics that we've all used. For me, it's just empowering other guys. It's not just me in that running back room, Kalel is great, Tavi is great, Ben Hall is great, Cole's great, the list goes on. Kuz and Downhill Donahue. Everybody is a leader within that room. It's not just to me. I'm very grateful to be able to say that, it's not all about me in that running back room. We're all going to check each other. I would get checked in an instant. If I'm goofing or if I'm not locked in, check somebody else as well. That's just my leadership trait, it's not just all me. Kalel will lead, Ben Hall will lead and, at that point, when it's Ben Hall's turn or Cole Cabana's turn to be running back one, to get a lot of playing time, they're going to see what Blake did, what I've done and they're going to use their own roles, use their own leadership capabilities to lead the running back room as well. That's how I look at it.
On the perspective that Tony Alford has brought to his game
The way I see it is it's a little different but it's the exact same thing that Coach Hart has talked to me and told me about and Coach Alford has told me as well. Not much has changed, honestly. A little bit details with Coach Alford versus Coach Hart. You're going to have to do your own thing but Coach Alford has really fine-tuned my game with the details and pre-snap reads. Knowing what to look for in the fronts versus Coach Hart, he just let us go play and said you go make a play. If you ain't doing what you gotta do, oh man, it brings me back memories, man. He had me ready to quit when I came in here freshman year. It's very similar, though. If you're not performing what you need to do, you're not doing well, both of them will pull you over in an instant. I'm grateful that I've had Coach Hart's experience, grateful now to have Coach Alford, always had a great relationship with him. I'm ready to work with Coach Alford, and fine-tune the game in June and July and August, whatever he asks me to do, I'm going to do it to my highest level and capability.
On the offensive line
You know what, that's the beauty of it, I think to myself at least five times a week how the guys that we have now, their numbers weren't called. They have the same exact role that I've been in, when your number is called you better go out there and perform. You're not the guy that's being relied on every single day. You had Keegs, Zinter, Barnie, we had LD and Nug and Olu as well, Ryan Hayes. Those weren't guys whose numbers weren't being called coming in. My thing is like, how are you now going to prove everybody wrong? You should've chose me along time ago. Guys have that grit, guys have that mindset. It's amazing to see the growth, it's going to take time. Five offensive linemen having to build chemistry with each other, finding out their personalities, what similarities and differences that you have. That's what they're doing right now. Their numbers weren't being called last year and the challenge for them now is go prove everybody wrong. Go prove Coach Moore wrong, prove Coach Newsome wrong. Show everybody why you should be that guy and build upon it every single day. There's no doubt in my mind they'll show everybody wrong. Each person, whoever it may be, Raheem, Crip, Gio, Myles Hinton, Persi, Gentry that there's supposed to be that guy. I feel like they're going to show everybody wrong.
On the growth of the QBs
I think that they've watched the battle between Cade and JJ in 2022. Now, they understand that it's kind of like the same thing. Everybody is being tested and evaluated and nobody has earned the starting quarterback role job, right? I think that what we just need is the dominance. This is my offense. Not being a tyrant or anything, just that your presence is being felt in the huddle. I felt like all the quarterbacks thus far who have participated in spring ball, Tuttle knows, he didn't participate in spring ball, that you're going to have to earn some respect. You're going to have to be consistent. That's what Coach Campbell wants as well. I'm sure he could sit here and say the exact same things I'm saying. There's certain things this team is looking for in the quarterback. Can we rally behind you? Are you going to not make mistakes? You're going to make mistakes, of course, but can you minimize mistakes at all times? Can you put the ball in the right place at the right time? The guys are getting better every single day. I bet if you go look right now, there's probably a quarterback throwing and fine-tuning their game right now in Glick right now. I'm excited. All of them have rose to the challenge, none of them are shying away. Everybody is getting better. All the quarterbacks are pushing each other to get better, there's no being selfish or animosity, I'm better than this guy, this guy sucks, there's none of that. That's exactly what this team needs, especially the quarterback, that's a very dominant one-man position, everybody is pushing each other trying to get everybody better. Just them alone is getting guys better as well.
On whether there are concerns about the productivity on offense
I disagree. There's definitely talent that we have. If not, people do different things and they may do it better. There's a difference between Roman and T-Mo, T-Mo does things better than Roman, Roman does things better than T-Mo. It's the same thing right now. This team is not the same, who cares? Teams are never going to be the same even if one person is gone or if 10 people are gone. The thing is, how are we — what is our identity gonna be? How are we gonna get better? How are we going to use the talent that we have that is here to be better? We're not last years team, we're a whole different team. There's no doubt in my mind that we will be successful.
On being RB1
No, no, no, I'm going to cut that off right now. There's no — we're all going to compete and whoever Coach Alford is going to be running back one is going to be running back one.
On being on the College Football 25 cover
I was like, oh, word? I'll be there in a heartbeat. I said, oh, for real? Let's do it then. When I heard the cover, I said, oh, whatever bro, I don't what my overall is, they told me what my speed was, I disagree with the speed. The cover? For sure. Let's do it.
On what his rating is
I don't know, they told me my speed. It's low. It's like 70-something. I said, what? If you know, you know. Come on, bro. It's very disrespectful. The natty game, we could even take it back to my freshman year, I had big runs my freshman. I wasn't being caught as a freshman. 70-something is disrespectful, which is cool. We'll get it up. They're challenging me and I'm gonna rise to the challenge. Dang.
On when he would be don't the cover
I found out sometime in February. Kept my mouth shut, don't need to say anything. We had the Charles Woodson's, Desmond Howard, Tom was on there, right? Denard was on there now one more. Just carrying on that Michigan tradition. It's beautiful that I'm able to continue the legacy, the foundation but I'm definitely very humbled. I'm not having no big head. I'm humble for that, though. 2022 is when my season wasn't great. 2023, people say it was great, I had to do what I had to do with the carries that I had. I'm very humble now, though. I don't care. It's beautiful, it's great. I'm not just going to gloat about it or smile about it whenever I see it or hear it. I'm going to keep working hard, I'm going to lead my team the best way that I can. I'm going to go out and perform the best way that I can. I'm not going to put expectations on myself anymore. That's what I learned from the season last year. It's going to become even greater because I'm going to become a better football player and a greater man because of the experience that I've had and being humble now. If I had 1000 yards being running back two in 2022, you can't tell me nothing. Did you rush for 1000 yards as running back two? I didn't think so. I would've been arrogant and cocky, I've been humbled, broke a thumb, still performed well. I know why I broke my thumb. These things now, they excite me but they don't excite me as much as, oh, I'm on the cover of EA. I'm the best player in the country. Nah, I'm going to keep working hard. I'm going to stay humble, bring people up, make people better around me so we can all be successful.
On the expectations of a cover man
It comes with everybody, you see how it is, they love you or they hate you. It comes with it. We were in Texas, two other guys that I was with, very talented guys, guys that I respect tremendously, great people. We were in Texas, photoshoot. It was just the three of us, just vibing. We were there for like two or three hours just for one cover photo. We were there for that long. I don't know how they're going to do it, maybe regional covers for everybody, I don't know.
On how he guards against distractions
I just think keep doing what I'm doing, man. Honestly, I don't party. Don't go out. After practice or something, you'll find me at the crib, walking my dog, playing the video games. I just gotta keep doing what I'm doing. I don't care what people say or think or possibly do, just gotta keep doing me. That's what got me here, that's what got me attention and that's what got me playing really well in big games. Just keep doing me, there's no other way around it. Just keep working hard. Mark Ingram told me that, shout out to Mark.
On the importance of graduating
Very important. A main reason, key reason, why I came back. I was planning on starting my Master's in the fall. Oh, my God, that's a lot of work. I'm just trying to focus on football. I set myself up to where I'm taking 10 credits in the spring and then I'm only going to take one class in the fall, two credit class. Got my degree. Get my Master's at any point in time I want, probably start it right after the season, during the draft process. That plays a key factor, staying locked in,
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