Michigan HC Sherrone Moore: RB Kalel Mullings will be a 'force' this season

One of the position groups with major intrigue heading into the 2024 season for Michigan football is at the running back spot.

Much of the intrigue stems from the Wolverines having to replace now LA Rams running back Blake Corum, who will go down as one of the all time greats in program history after what he accomplished in a Maize and Blue uniform.

Now, it will be up to others to lead the way in the Michigan backfield.

Corum is leaving big shoes to fill, but from Michigan's standpoint, the cupboard is far from bare in the backfield, with the potential to carry on success as a unit for the 2024 season.

Having senior Donovan Edwards returning certainly helps, as he is a dynamic and explosive player who has been waiting for his opportunity to take on the No. 1 role in the Michigan backfield.

This year, he will get that chance as the Wolverines will be relying heavily on his experience and playmaking ability to help the offense move the ball.

However, part of what has made Michigan successful in the running game the past several seasons—in addition to having dominant offensive lines, has been its depth with Edwards carrying some of the load to give Corum a blow when needed.

Now, backs behind Edwards will need to do the same for him as he has been able to do for Corum in the past.

When speaking to the media at Big Ten Media Days, head coach Sherrone Moore expressed his confidence in the depth of the room and highlighted Kalel Mullings and the spark he could provide to the team.

"The guy that's not talked about enough is Kalel Mullings," Moore said. "He's going to be a force, he looks as good as he ever has. He's going to have a great year. Watch him last year, every time he came in he had an explosive play, a big play, runs over somebody, makes somebody miss. It (was) hard to take the ball out of Blake Corum's hands."

The converted linebacker tallied a career-high 36 carries last season for a 6.2 yard average and a touchdown. That was 22 more carries than what he had in 2022, although he did find the end zone three times that season.

Even with a higher workload last season, Mullings was still behind Corum and Edwards on the depth chart, meaning touches were limited. This season, Mullings will have his number called more often, and it seems clear that Moore believes he is up for that challenge.

Overall, Moore is excited about the depth of the group and noted others who are competing for reps in the backfield.

"For us, we've got a stable of guys.," said Moore. "We've got him, we've got Ben Hall, we've got Cole Cabana, we've got this freshman Jordan Marshall, we've got Micah Ka'apana. We've got guys left and right. We're really excited about that group and continue to go day by day."

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