Since 2010, Michigan has churned out some serious talent at running back, and the position has become the program’s calling card more than almost anything else. Quarterback play has been solid enough over the last 15 seasons, but the backfield is where the Wolverines have really separated themselves - especially since 2021.
At the top of the list sits Blake Corum, and it’s not close. Corum left Ann Arbor as one of the best backs in school history, piling up 3,737 career rushing yards, which ranks seventh all-time at Michigan. He also finished with a program-record 58 rushing touchdowns, moving past Anthony Thomas.
His 2023 season was the kind of year that seals a legacy. Corum ran for 27 touchdowns, a school record, and added 1,245 rushing yards after returning from the torn ACL he suffered in 2022.
That comeback earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors. He was also a two-time All-American and finished in the top 10 of the Heisman voting twice.
In 2022, he tied Hassan Haskins with five rushing scores against UConn.
Haskins comes next, and his 2021 season is the reason why. He had already been a useful piece in 2019 and 2020, rushing for 622 yards and 375 yards in the shortened 2020 season, but he turned into a force when everything came together. That year, he ran for 1,327 yards and 20 touchdowns, and he tied a Michigan school record by scoring five times against Ohio State in the Wolverines’ first win over the Buckeyes since 2011.
Haskins was a two-time Big Ten Honoree and earned All-American recognition in 2021. He also benefited from Michigan’s Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line that season, which opened the door for Haskins, Corum, and Donovan Edwards. He finished his Michigan career with 2,324 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns.
Donovan Edwards lands third, even though his career never fully matched the hype that followed him into Ann Arbor. The former five-star flashed early in 2021 behind Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins, then put together his best statistical season in 2022 with 991 rushing yards and seven touchdowns as the backup.
That led to his bold Barry Sanders comparison, when he said he would go down as one of the best backs to play the game, in the same conversation as Walter Payton and Sanders. But the next two seasons were quieter.
In 2023, with Corum still ahead of him, Edwards rushed for 497 yards as Michigan won the championship. In his final season, with Kalel Mullings taking over as the lead back, he finished with 589 yards.
Even so, his speed always mattered, and he made his mark with two long touchdowns in the Wolverines’ national title win over Washington.
Karan Higdon checks in at No. 4.
He sits 14th in Michigan history with 2,616 career rushing yards, and his final two seasons were the best of his college career. Higdon ran for 994 yards and then 1,178 yards, showing the kind of steady production that kept Michigan moving.
He was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and earned Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2017. After topping 1,100 yards in 2018, he became a Doak Walker Award finalist and was Michigan’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2011, doing it before the offensive line reached its later peak. Higdon finished with 27 rushing touchdowns, and if he had seen the field earlier in his sophomore season, it’s fair to wonder how much more he might have done.
The final spot goes to Jordan Marshall, and this is where a little projection comes into play. Fitzgerald Toussaint and De’Veon Smith were in the mix, but Marshall has already shown enough to earn the nod. He arrived at Michigan in 2024, took a redshirt, and then turned heads in the ReliaQuest Bowl win over Alabama, where he was named MVP after rushing for 100 yards.
In 2025, he opened the year behind Justice Haynes, who started fast before an injury opened the door. Marshall took over and never gave it back.
He rattled off four straight 100-yard games and finished the season with 932 rushing yards. Entering 2026, he already looks like a top-10 running back, and with at least one more year in Ann Arbor, he has a chance to climb even higher.
In Other News...
Why This Michigan Transfer Matters More Than Fans Realize
Chris Bracys arrival gives Michigan another reason to feel better about the back end of its defense heading into 2026. The former Memphis safety is already ranked No. 15 on the Wolverines staff list of the 25 most important players for next season, a sign of how quickly he has gone from transfer addition to potential difference-maker. After a strong 2025 season, Bracy is expected to step into a major role in a secondary that needs dependable play and a steady presence.
Bracys value goes beyond just filling a roster spot. Michigan is counting on him to be a durable, reliable safety who can handle real responsibility right away, and his fit could matter even more if the Wolverines want the group to hold together over a long season. For a defense built on depth and versatility, a first-year transfer earning that kind of trust says plenty about where the staff thinks the room is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Made A Defensive Staff Move That Could Shape The Secondary
Michigans defensive staff has a new face in the secondary, and the hire brings a rsum that suggests the Wolverines are looking for more than just another position coach. The program added Tyler Stockton, whose background includes more than a decade in defensive coaching and experience running units as a coordinator, along with a reputation for developing NFL-caliber talent.
Stocktons path has included stops at Ball State and Boise State, where he worked with multiple all-conference players and earned recognition around the coaching profession. For Michigan, the appeal is obvious: a coach with a track record of teaching the back end, building depth and helping defensive talent take the next step, even if the full impact of this move will take a little time to show up on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Missed On A Quarterback Fans May Regret
Trae Taylors rise has made him one of the more intriguing quarterback names in the 2027 class, and Michigan had a long look at the Omaha product before his recruitment came into focus elsewhere. The five-star, who transferred to Millard South High School, has climbed to the top of multiple rankings as both the No. 1 quarterback and Nebraskas top prospect in the eyes of Rivals and 247Sports, a reflection of the kind of arm talent and dual-threat production that has kept Big Ten staffs coming back around.
For Michigan, the frustration is less about missing on a random target and more about watching a player it evaluated repeatedly head to a rival program with momentum. Taylors path included a strong previous season, a heavy dose of offseason showcase attention, and a recruiting process that drew visits from several Big Ten schools before Nebraska landed his commitment. The Wolverines have since moved on with their own 2027 quarterback work, but Taylor is the kind of name that can linger if he keeps climbing. [Read more 🡒]