ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Though they both were on the offense a year ago, expect bigger things from two players, one of which is considered a wide receiver, while the other is thought of as a running back. However, neither are particularly limited to their respective positions.
Wide receiver A.J. Henning had the longest rushing touchdown of the season last year, a 74-yard end-around in Week 1 against Western Michigan. Running back Donovan Edwards had the most receiving yards in a game in 2021 for the Wolverines, reeling in 10 catches for 170 yards against Maryland. He also threw a 75-yard bomb in the Big Ten championship game for a touchdown. These may be antithetical to the roles generally espoused by their position groups, but that shows just how dynamic some of the weapons the maize and blue has.
Last year wasn’t Henning’s first year, but it was his first real extended playing time, whereas Edwards was a freshman in 2021 and just getting his feet wet. Expect both to really amp things up in 2022, now that they’re both a bit more seasoned.
“Obviously I had Donovan in high school, we used him out as a receiver. So that trade is carried on into college,” wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy, who previously was the head coach at West Bloomfield, said. “And then you go back and look at A.J.s high school film, he played a lot of running back. A.J. moved all over the field, played a little quarterback. So those two guys, they can do a multitude of things. And you don’t miss a beat. And like I said, they both are explosive, both great, but with the ball in their hands. And the thing is, they both have a high-level understanding of football. And you could do a lot of creative things when you have guys with that skill set.”
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With Edwards in particular, he’s expected to really take off now that it’s his second year and the depth chart is a little more amenable with Hassan Haskins off to the NFL. In WolverinesWire’s conversation with Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, the premier college broadcaster shared that Edwards is one of his ‘dark horse Heisman candidates,’ assuredly not because he’s exclusively an elusive back.
Edwards’ ability as a receiver started to be cultivated in high school, Bellamy says, and once he gets the ball in his…