Michigan is coming off of the 2021 football season where it rushed for 3,001 total yards on the ground which was good enough for eighth-best in the entire country. The Wolverines averaged 214 yards-per-game on the ground and there were only eight Power Five teams ahead of the maize and blue.
Tom VanHaaren from ESPN made an article talking about which college teams are recruiting the best on offense. To no surprise, when he got down to the running back position, he ranked Michigan towards the top.
The Wolverines had a ton of success on the ground last season with running backs Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum, while mixing in true freshman Donovan Edwards. The Wolverines’ offensive line won the Joe Moore Award for the best offensive line, and it’s looking to continue the ground success in the future.
Michigan got a commitment from ESPN 300 running back Cole Cabana, the No. 6 back in the class and the third highest-ranked recruit at the position who has made a commitment. The staff also has a commitment from three-star Ben Hall. Corum and Edwards are only sophomores, while Tavierre Dunlap is a redshirt freshman. Adding Cabana will be a step toward keeping the running back room filled with talent.
Hassan Haskins was a part of the 2018 class which featured Aidan Hutchinson, Cam McGrone, Ryan Hayes, and Jalen Mayfield. Haskins was ranked as a three-star according to 247Sports composite, and he was the 975th-ranked recruit in the country. But Haskins sure surpassed expectations. During his career at Michigan, he rushed for 2,324 yards and 30 scores on the ground. But he really burst onto the scene last year in a starring role for the Wolverines where he ran for 1,327 yards and 20 touchdowns.
During the 2020 cycle, that’s when the Wolverines landed Blake Corum. The 5-foot-8 back that played at St. Francis Academy (Maryland) was a four-star recruit that many teams were after. He chose the Wolverines over Ohio State, Georgia, USC, Ole Miss, Michigan State, and many others. 247Sports composite had Corum as the 129th-ranked recruit in the country and the 12th-best running back.
Corum played sparingly in 2020 splitting reps with Haskins, Chris Evans, and Zach Charbonnet, but in 2021 Corum erupted out of the gate with three-straight 100-yard performances. He ended the season rushing for 951 yards and 11 scores. The speedy back has already been announced on preseason watch lists like the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award for 2022.
In the 2022…