Michigan football coach gives insight on notable position battle

The Wolverines’ running back room is the best in the nation — with Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum leading the way, no one has a more dangerous and versatile group than Jim Harbaugh does. Today, Michigan football coach Mike Hart, who is the running backs coach and will have interim head coaching duties this weekend, gave the latest update on an RB position battle for the No. 3 spot behind Edwards and Corum.

Michigan football coach Mike Hart gives insight into the RB3 battle

The Michigan football running back room has defined depth until the No. 3 spot. Just as we saw last year, Blake Corum (1) and Donovan Edwards (2) headline the unit; however, all fans will recall that running back depth was extremely important for Michigan last fall when both Edwards and Corum were battling injuries.

Right now, it appears that senior running back Kalel Mullings — a converted linebacker — is the third-string running back; however, this does not appear to be set in stone just yet.

“Kalel is really, really good, he just has Donovan and Blake ahead of him right now, which are two draft picks,” Michigan football coach Mike Hart told the media this morning. “But, he’s fast, he’s big, he’s quick. He can catch, as well … Just really, really happy to have him full time. I look at him like he’s really a freshman to sophomore based on him being a running back. He’s a senior as a running back, but he’s really a freshman. He’s super athletic.

“The runs he had in the game were phenomenal,” Hart continued. “Really, really trust him. He’s great on third down and can pass pro. And he does bring that different dynamic of, he’s 230 pounds. It’s good to have him, and we’re gonna get him as many touches as we can based on how the game’s going.”

Which other running backs stand out to Hart?

Kalel Mullings has been impressive in the RB3 role for Michigan football thus far, but there are a number of contenders looking to take his spot — Benjamin Hall, a massive freshman, is among the top contenders for those reps right now. In fact, like Mullings, Hall has a large frame and a bruising skill set.

“(Benjamin Hall) is 240 (pounds). Ben is probably bigger than Kalel, to be honest with you,” the Michigan football coach continued. “So just physical, downhill running backs that get the job done. Kalel and Ben both have really good feet, they’re both quick. Kalel is faster than Ben, but Ben is a special back as well.”

Wolverines’ RB room is in great shape, has not clear-cut No. 3 back right now

Michigan football is deep at running back, and despite the fact that the Wolverines threw the ball a lot on Saturday, it seems all but certain that Michigan is going to revert back to a run-heavy scheme at some point. Here is what Mike Hart said regarding depth this morning.

“I think we have four No. 3 backs, to be honest with you,” he said. “I’m not really worried about it (depth). If you asked me that question last year, it would’ve been a little bit more of a concern with the unknown — ‘who’s the fourth back? Is CJ (Stokes) going to be ready to go? He’s a true freshman.’ … We’re deep (at running back). I feel really good about the backfield position. I’m comfortable with CJ going in the game, Ben going in the game, Kalel going in the game, Tavi Dunlap, when he gets back. He had a great fall camp. All those guys can play. Cole Cabana, he can play. It’s just being smart and using them in the right situations, but I’m not really worried about who the third back is, because I trust them all to do what they need to do based on the game situations.”

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