Andrel Anthony, WR (Oklahoma Duke): Anthony had injury issues over his time in Norman and made just 1 catch for 4 yards this past season. He transferred to Duke after the season.
Jeremiah Beasley, LB (Missouri): Beasley made 7 tackles while playing in eleven games as a freshman.
Tristan Bounds, OT (Arizona): Bounds played just one offensive snap for Michigan this year and transferred to Arizona after the season.
Name: Cole Cabana Height: 6’0″ Weight: 204 lbs. High school: Dexter (MI) Dexter Position: Running back Class: Redshirt freshman Jersey number: #24 Last year: I ranked Cabana #59 and said he would be a backup running back and part-time kickoff returner (LINK). He played in one game and ran 2 times for 6 yards. TTB Rating: 73
Cabana entered 2023 without much of a chance to play a significant role in the offensive backfield. Benjamin Hall was the freshman with the big performance in the spring game, and Michigan had two star running backs in the forms of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. On top of that, Cabana’s possible role as a pass catcher and gadget running back was blocked by Edwards, who also has the speed and receiving ability to move around.
But Cabana, a track star in high school, did have the speed Michigan often looks for in kickoff returners. And since he wasn’t going to factor in on offense, I thought he might get a shot to return kicks. But it was a different freshman – wide receiver Semaj Morgan – who led the team in kickoff returns (12 attempts for 186 yards) and nobody else had more than one.
With receivers Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson off to the NFL, I’m not sure that Michigan will want to use Morgan so much on returns. He will step into a bigger receiving role, perhaps as the #2 guy behind Tyler Morris. Over the past several years, Michigan has turned to non-starters like Morgan, A.J. Henning, Blake Corum, and Giles Jackson to field kickoffs. If that trend continues, Cabana could be someone whose speed and energy reserves could be used wisely. He won’t play much on offense (Edwards, Kalel Mullings, and at least one or two other guys will probably be ahead of him), so the Wolverines could put him to good use without risking a key offensive cog to injury.
For having lost such a large part of Michigan’s program over the past three years in running back Blake Corum, Michigan’s running game will look pretty familiar in 2024. Corum ran 675 times for 3,737 yards and 58 touchdowns in his career, becoming Michigan’s top career touchdown scorer. But his primary backup, Donovan Edwards, had some huge games at opportune times.
Edwards ran 119 times for 497 yards (4.2 yards/carry) and 5 touchdowns in 2023, and he caught 30 passes for 249 yards (8.3 yards/catch). His entire season was pretty ho-hum . . . except for a 22-yard touchdown in a tight game against Penn State . . . and then two 40+ yard scores against Washington in the national championship game. He goes into the spring as the odds-on favorite to start, but he’s somewhat of a proven commodity. Michigan showed last year that they don’t really want to subject running backs to extra wear and tear, and we even learned that Corum and Edwards basically weren’t tackled all the way through fall camp. We’ll see if the transition to Sherrone Moore as head coach changes that equation at all.
The other intriguing option at running back is former linebacker Kalel Mullings, who has been playing offense since the 2022 postseason. He ran 36 times for 222 yards (6.2 yards/carry) and 1 touchdown, and he even caught 2 passes for 32 yards, including a key 19-yard reception against Alabama in the Rose Bowl. There were times in 2023 when he looked like the more instinctive back, and he’s certainly more adept at breaking tackles.
Second-year player Benjamin Hall was the breakout star of the 2023 spring game, and his one solid showing during the season was a 9-carry, 58-yard performance against Indiana. He’s a bowling ball at 5’11” and 234 pounds, but he’s unlikely to break into the top two at the position. Fellow second-year back Cole Cabana had just 2 carries for 6 yards in 2023 and had some injuries that limited him to one game; at 6’0″ and 198 pounds, he’s a speedster who still has to get his body ready for the college game.
The Wolverines lost C.J. Stokes (transfer to Charlotte) and walk-on Leon Franklin (transfer to Tennessee Tech), so along with Cabana and Hall, expect to see a good-sized dose of guys like walk-ons Henry Donohue (career: 3 carries for 9 yards) and Bryson Kudzal (career: 0 carries) toting the ball to keep Edwards and Mullings fresh for the fall. Kudzal’s high school profile touts a 4.41 forty and a 40″ vertical, but he’s an in-state, small-school product who was a little bit stiff and upright as a runner in high school.
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Name: Cole Cabana Height: 6’0″ Weight: 180 lbs. High school: Dexter (MI) Dexter Position: Running back Class: Freshman Jersey number: #24 Last year: Cabana was a senior in high school (LINK). He ran for 1,518 yards and 27 touchdowns, caught passes for 472 yards and 6 touchdowns, and had 444 return yards and 3 return touchdowns. TTB Rating: 73
Cabana was Michigan’s highest rated recruit for much of the cycle. One of the fastest players in the recruiting cycle, he was explosive with the ball in his hands for the past few years. Whether it was running the ball, catching the ball, or returning kicks, he had a chance to take it to the house every time. He ended up ranked as a 4-star, the #10 running back, and #172 overall in the 247 Composite ranking.
Cabana’s best chance to play in 2023, in my opinion, is on kickoff returns. Michigan has the best backfield duo in the country in Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, and I think the coaching staff will focus on getting those guys the ball as often as necessary to win games comfortable and impressive the College Football Playoff selection committee. Fellow freshman Benjamin Hall made a case in the spring to be the third-string running back, but sophomore C.J. Stokes may also be a factor. The point is that Cabana isn’t really needed on offense; this backfield is the same as 2022 when Michigan ran roughshod over almost everyone.
What Michigan lost, however, is punt returner and part-time kickoff returner A.J. Henning. And as part-time kickoff returner Roman Wilson becomes more important on offense after the departure of Ronnie Bell, I’m not sure if the coaching staff will want Wilson returning kicks anymore. So if Cabana wants to see the field in 2023 and doesn’t mind burning his redshirt, I think Michigan should give him a shot to handle kickoffs.
Prediction: Backup running back and part-time kickoff returner
Here are some senior highlights from running back signee Cole Cabana. He’s a 4-star, the #10 running back, and #171 overall in the 247 Composite rankings.
