Michigan football has ‘force’ at RB — and he’s not named Donovan Edwards

INDIANAPOLIS — It makes sense that Donovan Edwards is getting the headlines in Michigan football’s running back room.

A five-star recruit, he shared the team’s offensive rookie of the year honors then had more than 1,100 yards of offense as a sophomore and was named the MVP of the College Football Playoff championship as a junior.

Now, entering his senior season, he was a team representative at Big Ten media days in Indianapolis — par for the course for the man nicknamed “Big Game Don.”

But for all the attention U-M’s boisterous ball carrier demands, there’s another running back head coach Sherrone Moore feels is not getting his fair share.

“Yeah, the guy that’s not talked about enough is Kalel Mullings,” Moore said at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday. “He’s going to be a force. He’s unbelievable. He looks as good as he ever has. He’s here to have a great year.”

Sep 30, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Kalel Mullings (20) runs for a touchdown against Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive back Malcolm Hartzog (13) during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

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Mullings’ 2023 was quietly solid as the former linebacker transitioned to offense full time and put together his most productive season: 36 rushes for for 222 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and one touchdown.

His advanced numbers looked good, too. Mullings averaged at team-best 4.17 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus — Edwards averaged 2.67 yards after first contact — and 14 of his 36 rushes (38.9%) resulted in a first down or touchdown.

“I mean, you watch him last year, every time he came in, he has an explosive play,” Moore said. “He runs over somebody, makes somebody miss. It (was) just hard to…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-football-force-rb-hes-100506893.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2024-07-27 10:05:06

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