How will Michigan football divide the workload between Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum?

The Michigan football program has a very good problem on its hands: two of the nation’s best running backs — Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards — both reside in Ann Arbor right now and are led by the country’s strongest offensive line. With two Heisman Trophy-caliber backs, the issue is not who to give the ball to but rather how many times each will get to carry the rock. Recently, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh broke down some of his plans for the two star ball carriers ahead of the 2023 season.

Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards both elite running backs

A season ago, Blake Corum burst onto the scene as a Heisman Trophy frontrunner yet fell short of being named a finalist due to a brutal Week 12 injury against the Illinois Fighting Illini. Now, Corum claims that his knee rehab has been going great and that he is ready to get his senior season underway in pursuit of a national championship and more.

On top of Michigan football star Blake Corum, one of the top players in all of college football, the Wolverines possess the perfect second-string back in the form of former five-star Donovan Edwards. Edwards saw an increased role with the Maize and Blue during his true sophomore season last fall and immediately proved that he can be just as good, perhaps even better at some point, than what Corum has been thus far.

Michigan RB Blake Corum is on our watch list for college football’s fastest players in 2023. #ReelSpeed #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/UekGeX1cPH

— Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) June 1, 2023

Additionally, Edwards has a skillset that Blake Corum does not have — he can catch the ball just as well as he can run it. I don’t mean screen passes, either; I am talking about being a bona fide downfield threat to opposing defenses, as we saw time and time again in 2022.

Jim Harbaugh looking to split carries between the dynamic duo in 2023

So, how will Michigan football split their touches this fall? Jim Harbaugh recently broke down some of his future plans for the elite duo of Maize and Blue running backs.

“Between Donovan and Blake, I haven’t settled on the exact number,” Jim Harbaugh said, according to The Wolverine. “It’s gonna be maybe 9-10 each. I don’t wanna wear them out either, you know?”

Blake Corum: the best RB in collegiate football pic.twitter.com/Tp2GV0QMch

— Kobe Bufkin Connoisseur (@UMvsEveryone) May 30, 2023

Michigan football offense looking to lead the way to a national title

Last year, Blake Corum saw the bulk of the carries, sometimes getting over 30 touches per game. As we have seen, this does not appear to be sustainable throughout the 2023 season. Luckily for Michigan football, Donovan Edwards showed that he, too, can be an impact player.

When Corum went out in 2022, Edwards ran for over 200 yards in Michigan’s 45-23 win over Ohio State and another 185 in the Wolverines’ 43-22 win over Purdue in the Big Ten title game.

This season, Michigan football can afford to split carries evenly, and it appears that Jim Harbaugh intends to do exactly that.

93 days until #collegefootball returns.

Starring RB Donovan Edwards ?? pic.twitter.com/xbxJEC0oza

— JWP Sports / CFBAlerts (@JWPSports) May 25, 2023

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!