Name: Tavierre Dunlap
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 217 lbs.
High school: Del Valle (TX) Del Valle
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #22
Last year: I ranked Dunlap #66 and said he would be a backup running back (LINK). He ran 9 times for 46 yards and caught 1 pass for 5 yards.
TTB Rating: 59
A blog contributor recently threw out the phrase “It’s getting late early” in jest for a true freshman who might not fit what the current coaching staff wants, and that was a phrase that I was holding out until I got to the Dunlap post. Dunlap was the #237 overall player in the 2021 class, but he was part of a two-back class that included Donovan Edwards. While Edwards had some big plays in 2021 and had a standout season in 2022, Dunlap has been quietly working in as the fourth or fifth back. Last season he finished with fewer touches than Edwards, Blake Corum, freshman C.J. Stokes, walk-on Isaiah Gash, and converted linebacker Kalel Mullings. It was especially damning when Gash got some short yardage carries and some crunch-time touches against Illinois while Dunlap watched from the sideline.
Going into the 2023 season, Dunlap will certainly be behind Corum and Edwards, and I expect him to also be behind Stokes and Mullings. The real question is whether freshmen Benjamin Hall and Cole Cabana pass him up, too. Hall had a solid spring game, and Cabana is a speedster with big play ability. So far Dunlap has not shown much wiggle, speed, or power, and those skills don’t often suddenly appear in year three. I would not be surprised if this is Dunlap’s final year in a Michigan uniform before transferring. But hopefully Corum and Edwards can get their touches, put Michigan ahead, and leave a lot of reps in the third and fourth quarters for the backups to show their stuff.
Prediction: Backup running back and special teamer
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