He’s going to make some noise early, there’s no doubt! #GoBlue
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While Michigan football did lose one of its top impact freshmen in Xavier Worthy, the wide receiver who asked out of his letter of intent and flipped to Texas, there are still a handful of candidates who could make an instant impact.
Though many point to quarterback J.J. McCarthy as a potential player who could come in and take the reins in year one, another offensive player is higher on the list — at least according to 247Sports.
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As 247Sports put together a list of six freshmen across college football who could come in and make an instant impact, Michigan running back Donovan Edwards was one of the six to make the cut from a national perspective.
A high-four-star recruit out of West Bloomfield (Mich.) High, Donovan Edwards was the industry-generated 247Sports Composite’s No. 41 overall prospect, No. 4 running back and No. 2 player in Michigan.
“Go up to Michigan right quick — Donovan Edwards … this was a fight,” Pate said. “I mean, Donovan Edwards was one of the top running backs in the country. They were — they being Michigan — fighting, at one point, ‘Bama, Ohio State was in the mix. Notre Dame, I remember, was strongly in the mix. And Michigan kept him in state … I felt like they were the leader and they got him. There is a huge fight here going into Signing Day and it’s good and everyone around Michigan is talking about, ‘OK, we got a game-changer at running back.’ Well, OK. And I agree with that. But do you truly believe in the definition ‘game-changer.’ And if you do, do you believe in it being attached to Donovan Edwards? ‘Cause I do.
“And that’s why, if I were to look at Michigan’s running back depth right now, I see (senior) Hassan Haskins, I see (sophomore) Blake Corum. And if you didn’t know any better, you’d say, ‘OK, Edwards comes in. He’ll probably get some mop-up duty as a freshman and then we’ll see him as a sophomore.’ No, not if you believe in the definition of ‘game-changer.’ If you believe in that, all due respect to Haskins and Corum, Donovan Edwards has got a talent profile they don’t have. The biggest question that comes into play, as is the case with every true freshman running back, is, ‘Do you have a ballcarrier or a complete running back?’ Because ballcarriers lose games, because ballcarriers cannot do the full complement of things that you need a running back to do. But if you’ve got a complete running back, it doesn’t matter how old they are. And in this case, all things equal, Edwards is more likely to be on the field ’cause when you boil it down, he’s the most talented running back they have the second he steps on campus. And so, keep an eye on him. ‘Cause once he earns that trust, he’s not going to be waiting behind folks. This is not a coaching staff that has two or three years equity built up. They’ve got to win. They’ve got to win now.”
This jibes with what we’ve heard about Edwards and his ability to come in and make some early noise. One person told WolverinesWire during Edwards’ recruitment that teams across college football — including Ohio State — saw Edwards as a J.K. Dobbins-type player, who could have an immediate impact, especially considering his versatility as a tailback.
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