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The man known as big game Don now officially headed to the big stage.
Donovan Edwards, the outspoken former Michigan football running back who made headlines both for his at times electric play on the field as well as comments off of it, was not selected during this week's 2025 NFL Draft. He will sign with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent, according to ESPN.
Edwards finished his U-M career with 422 carries for 2,251 yards (5.3 yards per attempt) and 19 touchdowns on the ground, 86 catches for 797 yards four more scores receiving and proved to be an effective trick-play quarterback, completing all four of his passing attempts for an incredible 131 yards and two touchdowns.
A five-star coming out of West Bloomfield High School, Edwards burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2021 with 439 offensive yards and four touchdowns despite being the third running back in the room behind NFLers Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum.
His sophomore campaign was his true breakout, however, as he ran 140 times for 991 yards (7.1 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns, each of which proved to be career highs for Edwards. It was highlighted by one of the most famous performances in the history of "The Game" when Edwards took over the full-time role for Corum (who missed the game with a torn meniscus).
Edwards had been bottled up, with his first 17 rushes going for just 49 yards on the day, then he changed the entire game, ripping off a touchdown rush of 75 yards and then later 85 yards, both in the fourth quarter, as Michigan hammered Ohio State 45-23 for its first win in Columbus in more than two decades.
He wasn't done there, winning Big Ten Championship game MVP the following week in a victory over Purdue (185 yards and a touchdown), before his third consecutive game over 100 yard, rushing for 119 yards in a bowl loss to TCU.
Many thought he'd be part of a one-two punch with Corum the following season − in fact that offseason Edwards himself said he would change the future of the position, the way players like Barry Sanders did − but it didn't materialize.
In the first 14 games of the year, Edwards was the least efficient back in the power conferences statistically, running 113 times for 393 yards (3.3 yards per touch) and three touchdowns. The season also reached personal low point for Edwards, when he found himself in hot water after sharing a post on social media with anti-semitic rhetoric.
The team visited the Zekelman Holocaust Museum in Farmington Hills as an educational trip in the offseason as a result.
Still, Edwards once-again rewrote the season in the late stages, as he ripped off two touchdown runs of more than 40 yards in Michigan's 34-13 national championship win over Washington, and ended with six carries for 104 yards in the biggest game of the century.
Edwards seemingly brought momentum into his senior year and for the first time in his career entered as the focal back of the offense, but it didn't finish that way. Instead, he was surpassed by Kalel Mullings, and used as the change of pace option as had been the case much of his career.
Despite the offense in 2024 being U-M's worst in a decade, Edwards actually improved from the year prior, running 128 times for 589 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. Though he ran 10 times for just 31 yards vs. the Buckeyes in his final trip to the Horseshoe, his teammates had his back this time and did enough to secure the 13-10 victory in the biggest upset of the history of the rivalry.
There's little doubt about Edwards' raw ability. He earned a "RAS" score fo 9.60 out of 10 in his pre-draft workout, which is good for the 78th best score all time out of 1,909 prospects since 1987, which is in the top five percent. The question at the next level is if he truly has the vision and ability to break tackles consistently to be a relied upon ball carrier at the next level.
He averaged just 2.86 yards after first contact and forced just 17 missed tackles on 127 attempts, of which, seven came against Arkansas State, the worst team on U-M's schedule. In the other 11 games, he forced only 10 missed tackles on 110 rushes, a remarkably low rate.
The other issue? Edwards was perceived as a home-run hitter, yet had 11 carries go for even 10 yards and only three carries more than 20 yards on the entire season.
Still, Edwards is one of the most confident young men to come through Ann Arbor in recent memory and while early in his career he was expected to perhaps be a first or second round selection, yet he did not get picked.
As he told NFL network host Rich Eisen recently, he accomplished all three of his goals in college: Big Ten Champion, National Champion and an undefeated record against Ohio State. Up next, the NFL.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Donovan Edwards of Michigan football joins Jets as undrafted free agent
Continue reading...
Donovan Edwards, the outspoken former Michigan football running back who made headlines both for his at times electric play on the field as well as comments off of it, was not selected during this week's 2025 NFL Draft. He will sign with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent, according to ESPN.
Edwards finished his U-M career with 422 carries for 2,251 yards (5.3 yards per attempt) and 19 touchdowns on the ground, 86 catches for 797 yards four more scores receiving and proved to be an effective trick-play quarterback, completing all four of his passing attempts for an incredible 131 yards and two touchdowns.
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A five-star coming out of West Bloomfield High School, Edwards burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2021 with 439 offensive yards and four touchdowns despite being the third running back in the room behind NFLers Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum.
His sophomore campaign was his true breakout, however, as he ran 140 times for 991 yards (7.1 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns, each of which proved to be career highs for Edwards. It was highlighted by one of the most famous performances in the history of "The Game" when Edwards took over the full-time role for Corum (who missed the game with a torn meniscus).
Edwards had been bottled up, with his first 17 rushes going for just 49 yards on the day, then he changed the entire game, ripping off a touchdown rush of 75 yards and then later 85 yards, both in the fourth quarter, as Michigan hammered Ohio State 45-23 for its first win in Columbus in more than two decades.
He wasn't done there, winning Big Ten Championship game MVP the following week in a victory over Purdue (185 yards and a touchdown), before his third consecutive game over 100 yard, rushing for 119 yards in a bowl loss to TCU.
Many thought he'd be part of a one-two punch with Corum the following season − in fact that offseason Edwards himself said he would change the future of the position, the way players like Barry Sanders did − but it didn't materialize.
You must be registered for see images attach
In the first 14 games of the year, Edwards was the least efficient back in the power conferences statistically, running 113 times for 393 yards (3.3 yards per touch) and three touchdowns. The season also reached personal low point for Edwards, when he found himself in hot water after sharing a post on social media with anti-semitic rhetoric.
The team visited the Zekelman Holocaust Museum in Farmington Hills as an educational trip in the offseason as a result.
Still, Edwards once-again rewrote the season in the late stages, as he ripped off two touchdown runs of more than 40 yards in Michigan's 34-13 national championship win over Washington, and ended with six carries for 104 yards in the biggest game of the century.
Edwards seemingly brought momentum into his senior year and for the first time in his career entered as the focal back of the offense, but it didn't finish that way. Instead, he was surpassed by Kalel Mullings, and used as the change of pace option as had been the case much of his career.
Despite the offense in 2024 being U-M's worst in a decade, Edwards actually improved from the year prior, running 128 times for 589 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. Though he ran 10 times for just 31 yards vs. the Buckeyes in his final trip to the Horseshoe, his teammates had his back this time and did enough to secure the 13-10 victory in the biggest upset of the history of the rivalry.
There's little doubt about Edwards' raw ability. He earned a "RAS" score fo 9.60 out of 10 in his pre-draft workout, which is good for the 78th best score all time out of 1,909 prospects since 1987, which is in the top five percent. The question at the next level is if he truly has the vision and ability to break tackles consistently to be a relied upon ball carrier at the next level.
He averaged just 2.86 yards after first contact and forced just 17 missed tackles on 127 attempts, of which, seven came against Arkansas State, the worst team on U-M's schedule. In the other 11 games, he forced only 10 missed tackles on 110 rushes, a remarkably low rate.
The other issue? Edwards was perceived as a home-run hitter, yet had 11 carries go for even 10 yards and only three carries more than 20 yards on the entire season.
You must be registered for see images attach
Still, Edwards is one of the most confident young men to come through Ann Arbor in recent memory and while early in his career he was expected to perhaps be a first or second round selection, yet he did not get picked.
As he told NFL network host Rich Eisen recently, he accomplished all three of his goals in college: Big Ten Champion, National Champion and an undefeated record against Ohio State. Up next, the NFL.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Donovan Edwards of Michigan football joins Jets as undrafted free agent
Continue reading...
