Michigan running back duo makes SI most intriguing non-QB list

There are a lot of big-time players who are deserving of hype entering the 2023 season. But they tend to be overshadowed by quarterbacks.

That’s why we keep hearing names like Drake Maye or KJ Jefferson, despite neither of their teams looking like they’ll contend for much this season (however, a quarterback could certainly propel a team to higher status). Yet, there are 10 other offensive players and 11 defensive players on the field.

SI’s Pat Forde put together a list of the most intriguing non-quarterbacks in the 2023 season, and Michigan running back Blake Corum made the list at No. 5.

5. Blake Corum, Michigan running back

The One More Year Fund NIL initiative prioritized Corum and a handful of other Wolverines, offering financial incentives for staying in school and chasing a national championship. Given how Corum’s 2022 season ended, with a major knee injury in the 11th game of the regular season, this was a preferred path to trying to sell himself to the NFL while rehabbing the knee. Corum was great last year, rushing for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns, and if back to peak form he will be a Heisman candidate again this season. The One More Year Fund also helped pay the linemen who block for him, so it’s a win-win situation.

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And, as Michigan public address announcer Carl Grapentine would say when the Michigan Marching Band plays ‘Temptation’ followed by ‘Hawaiian War Chant,’ you can’t have one without the other.

Edwards follows as the No. 6 most-intriguing non-quarterback on the list.

6. Donovan Edwards, Michigan running back

Then again, what if Corum isn’t even the best back on his own team? Edwards was a monster after Corum went down last year, producing 520 rushing yards over the final three games of the season and leaving burn marks on the Ohio Stadium turf. But in Edwards’s mind, he’s just getting started on a paradigm-shifting career. “I will go down as one of the greatest running backs to ever play the game,” he told Pro Football Focus. “I’ll be up there with Walter Payton, Barry Sanders. I believe I will revolutionize the game and the position.”

Of course, while both are intriguing, following Michigan football more closely, there are several players that have our interest particularly piqued. Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, tight end Colston Loveland, wide receiver Roman Wilson, cornerback Will Johnson, center Drake Nugent, and safety Rod Moore are all poised for breakout seasons. While none are currently national names, it would be no surprise if most, if not all of them, are coming off the tip of the tongue of many analysts this season.

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