ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It wasn’t that long ago that Kalel Mullings was looked at as the next premier Michigan football linebacker, possessing the traits that could make him among the Big Ten’s best. A few short years later, fans are excited to see what he can do toting the rock.
Even that is somewhat surprising. After his fumble in the 2022 College Football Playoff at the goal line, many wanted to see him never carry the ball again, but after a strong showing in 2023 — despite being oft-injured — the outlook on Mullings at running back is growing exponentially.
Thought of last year as a short-yardage back, that role ended up mostly going to Blake Corum. But even now with Corum gone, Mullings wants people to know there’s more to his game than getting just a yard when necessary.
“Yeah, there’s definitely more to my game that I want to show,” Mullings said. “I really view myself as somebody who’s able to do it all. I honestly think that you could ask me to do anything on a football field and I’ll be able to do it. That’s how I view myself. So really — just showcasing all of that and showing people that I feel like that’s big for me and I’m excited to do so.”
Mullings is ready to showcase his game to those unfamiliar. While he made some big plays in 2023, he feels he left a lot on the table. And now that he’s entering his second year not cross-training at linebacker, he’s sure that he can take a big step forward in 2024.
“My mindset is just continuing to be who I am and that’s the person that’s gonna put it all in line for the team and do everything to showcase my abilities when the opportunity’s presented,” Mullings said. “So yeah, I mean, for me, personally, it’s just a matter of just showcasing everything –w, I’m confident in all my abilities. I believe I’m a true back. And I’m really dynamic. And it’s just really to showcase and that’s my goal for the season.”
Thunder and lightning 2.0
In 2021, the dynamic duo at running back was Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum. Haskins was recruited as a running back but was converted to linebacker upon arriving on campus. At the end of his freshman year, he was moved back to tailback and thrived midway through his sophomore season, 2019.
Mullings sees a lot of similarities between him and his predecessor in Haskins. He notes there’s a lot the two have in common and he draws upon his example to highlight what he’s capable of.
“I think that’s a great comparison. I know H2 played a little defense back in his day — I did the same as well,” Mullings said. “About the same size. Both run hard, so that’s a great comparison. I’m a fan of H2’s game and really, sort of when I was first making this transition to offense, that’s really who I was looking at, sort of like a role model. So yeah, so I’m all for that comparison.”
With that in mind, could Mullings and Donovan Edwards be a rebirth of the ‘thunder and lightning’ tandem? Given each’s skill sets, Mullings seems to think so.
“I definitely think Dono and myself, our games complement each other,” Mullings said. “Dono can take that thing 90 yards like that. And, I feel like I can definitely bring some stuff like you said some thunder to that lightning. It’ll be great to play off of each other. So I’m excited.”