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: Tavierre Dunlap Height: 6’0″ Weight: 229 lbs. High school: Del Valle (TX) Del Valle Position: Running back Class: Redshirt junior Jersey number: #22 Last year: I ranked Dunlap #80 and said he would be a backup running back and special teamer (LINK). He ran 5 times for 21 yards and played in ten games on special teams. TTB Rating: 59
Dunlap played a good amount of special teams last season, but going into his fourth year, he probably hasn’t carried the ball as much as he expected coming into his Michigan career. That’s understandable when you’re behind a couple athletes like Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, but a lot of people expected Corum to be gone to the NFL prior to 2023. Luckily, he decided to come back and help win a national championship, but Edwards and the guys behind him were probably a little disappointed in how little they had chances to touch the ball. Dunlap played quite a bit on special teams, but 5 touches as a third-year player isn’t the norm for somebody who’s in line for a big role.
However, Michigan had to hire a new running backs coach to replace Mike Hart, and Tony Alford seems to like Dunlap’s ability a little more than Hart did. Dunlap played quite a bit in the spring game and seemed to have a little extra pep in his step. I probably would have ranked Dunlap roughly around where he was last year if not for what I saw in the spring. Edwards and Kalel Mullings are the guys at the top of the depth chart, but it’s a free-for-all for that third running back spot between Dunlap, Benjamin Hall, Cole Cabana, Jordan Marshall, and Micah Ka’apana. That third spot has received 36, 55, and 35 carries over the past three seasons when Moore was offensive coordinator, so whoever wins the job will probably be getting a decent chunk of carries in 2024.
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.
