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Name: Tavierre Dunlap
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 196 lbs.
High school: Del Valle (TX) Del Valle
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Dunlap was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 59
Dunlap was a welcome addition to Michigan’s class in 2021. The Wolverines were pursuing Donovan Edwards hard, but Edwards waited until late in the cycle to put his name on the dotted line. But the program also needed to ensure they were going to land a back or two in the class. The writing was on the wall for Christian Turner to depart the program, Chris Evans was running out of eligibility, and the transfer of Zach Charbonnet probably took many by surprise.
Despite a healthy respect for Dunlap’s skill, I have bumped him down from a 78 to a 59 in my TTB Ratings. Dunlap ran for 100+ yards in every game but one as a senior, and his season included two 90+ yard runs. I think Dunlap is a little Chris Perry-like, and I think Mike Hart was not like Chris Perry, nor has he seemed to favor Perry-like runners in his previous stops. Edwards and Blake Corum, along with the established Hassan Haskins, are likely to keep Dunlap mired in fourth place.
Fourth place is still relevant in the running back world, though. Over Harbaugh’s five full seasons in Ann Arbor, here’s how much the fourth running back has been involved:
- 2019: Christian Turner, 44 carries
- 2018: Christian Turner, 20 carries
- 2017: Kareem Walker, 20 carries
- 2016: Karan Higdon, 72 carries
- 2015: Ty Isaac, 30 carries
That’s an average of 37.2 carries per season, and Dunlap is the fourth and last scholarship running back on the roster. I think Dunlap will get closer to 20 carries than the 72 Higdon did in 2016, but that’s still a fairly significant role for the second-best freshman running back.
Prediction: Backup running back
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