Senior RB Donovan Edwards ready to rise into leadership role
Coming off the 2023 college football national championship, the Michigan Wolverines return just one starter on offense. Great players and leaders like J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum, Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter — the heart and soul of the Michigan offense the last two seasons — are now with their respective NFL teams, hoping to make it as professionals.
Meanwhile, Michigan must completely retool its offense, which scored an average of 35.9 points last season.
Colston Loveland is, officially, the team's only returning offensive starter. He met with Maize and Blue Review on Tuesday at an NIL photoshoot for Wolverine Boots.
"It's a big role for me now, knowing the offense, being in the offense last year, starting," Loveland said.
Loveland, though, was quick to note that although senior running back Donovan Edwards isn't technically a returning starter — he shined alongside Corum, the starting running back in 2023 — he is, in all respects, a returning starter.
Edwards also met with Maize and Blue Review at Tuesday's photoshoot to discuss his increasing role both on the field with the ball in his hands and as a leader for an inexperienced offense.
"I'm doing my absolute best in the leadership position because we all have to step up as leaders. And I've been here for going on four years, so I know what the blueprint has been for us to be successful, so I feel like it's my obligation, just me individually, to uphold everybody. And first of all, I have to uphold myself and then uphold everybody else to the standard that we hold ourselves to."
While a large chunk of the leadership burden on offense will fall upon Loveland, Edwards and whoever wins the quarterback battle, Edwards says that other players are stepping up, too.
"Other guys have really been stepping up — have been emerging themselves as leaders amongst this team."
Edwards was recently selected to represent Michigan at next week's Big Ten Media Days. He will be joined by fifth-year safety Makari Paige and senior tight end/fullback Max Bredeson.
Last season, Michigan sent Corum, Mike Sainristil and Kris Jenkins, all of whom ended up being captains for Team 144. In 2022, three of Michigan's four Big Ten Media Days representatives were eventual captains.
As for Edwards, he does not yet know if he will be a captain for the upcoming season, but all signs point to him becoming a Michigan football captain, and thus one of the most prominent leaders on the team, in 2024.
"It's not really my vote. It's the people's vote for who the captain is gonna be."
---
Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards
Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer
Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @Jerry_Diorio
Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify
Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube
Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram