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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — One of the most intriguing parts of spring ball every year is who of the early-enrollees will get enough of their college role down to be factors come fall.
Michigan football has brought in several of their key signees from the 2021 recruiting class as mid-year prospects, allowing them to see the field for months before the rest arrive. Given that many are skill position players, it will be interesting to see who can cement their status as potential early contributors once the 2021 season arrives this fall.
Fifth-year safety Brad Hawkins seems to have taken with those offensive skill players after a week-plus of spring practice, noting that two of the receivers and former five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy have made an early impression on him while they’re playing against him.
“(Andrel) Anthony, receiver — he’s doing a great job,” Hawkins said. “(Cristian) Dixon, doing a great job. (Junior Colson) is doing a great job. They’re all impressive. J.J. (McCarthy) — he’s doing a great job. They’re all doing great jobs. They’re still learning. Offensively, J.J.’s doing a great job, Dixon’s doing a great job, like I said. Anthony’s fast. He can get open.
“So yeah, I’m definitely looking forward to covering those guys, teaching those guys. Just being a leader and being a vet here. They’re doing a great job. I hope they continue to improve and learn from everybody in the building.”
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But, of all of the players that the Wolverines brought into the fold in 2021, there’s one who almost assuredly can see early playing time: five-star running back Donovan Edwards.
Michigan lost three tailbacks from last year, as Zach Charbonnet and Christian Turner opted to transfer while Chris Evans moved on due to graduating. That leaves starter Hassan Haskins and second-year running back Blake Corum as the available returning options. But Edwards has a skill set that all but demands that he sees the field early and often.
After a handful of practices, Haskins agrees that he has what it takes to break into the rotation in just his first year.
“Donovan — yeah, I like him,” Haskins said. “He’s been doing excellent. He’s been running well, he’s been learning plays, offensive plays, stuff like that. He’s been doing everything right. He can play early.”
Michigan started spring ball at the end of February and will continue to install new aspects of scheme on both sides of the ball through March and into April.
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