Name: Kalel Mullings
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 233 lbs.
High school: West Roxbury (MA) Milton Academy
Position: Running back
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #20
Last year: I ranked Mullings #38 and said he would be a backup running back (LINK). He had
TTB Rating: 78
Mullings was a linebacker at Michigan for his first two-plus years on campus. But in year three, Blake Corum suffered an injury against Illinois, and Michigan needed someone to help take the load in the backfield. So Mullings - a standout high school running back - threw a jump pass against Ohio State in 2022 and gained 31 yards on 14 carries, including scoring 3 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he fumbled on a goal line attempt against TCU in the College Football Playoff, and Michigan ended up losing by six points.
Instead of reverting to linebacker for 2023, Mullings stayed on offense to compete with Donovan Edwards for the backup position. At one point during the season, Mullings had earned the #2 spot and did some good things with it. He had a ho-hum non-conference performance (4 carries, 17 yards) to start the year, but he picked it up during the Big Ten slate and never averaged fewer than 5.0 yards per carry. Altogether, he ran 36 times for 222 yards (6.2 yards/carry) and 1 touchdown, a 20-yard scamper against Nebraska. Despite playing the season at 239 pounds, he showed nimble feet, good patience, and a decent burst.
The 2024 season should be another big step in his career now that Corum is off to the Los Angeles Rams. Edwards and Mullings are the #1 and #2 backs, and while Edwards is the favorite to win the job (after all, he was on the cover of NCAA '25), Mullings can make a case to be the Thunder to Edwards's Lightning. Edwards has struggled at times and has also been injured a little bit. Over the past three years of post-COVID Michigan football, the #2 back for Michigan has averaged 813 yards per season, including 950+ yards from both Corum (2021) and Edwards (2022). I don't know that Mullings will approach 1,000 yards like those two, but he should have a pretty hefty rushing total by the end of the year while also serving as a short yardage and goal line back at times.
Prediction: Backup running back; 750 yards and 9 touchdowns
" At one point during the season, Mullings had earned the #2 spot"
ReplyDeleteThis is false. The closest Mullings ever got to matching Edwards snap count was the minnesota game (18 for Edwards, 15 for Mullings). The reason for that is the game was a blowout (Corum had a season low 22 snaps that game). Edwards played more than twice as many snaps in every other game.
We don't have to make things up to praise Mullings. What he did as a senior is incredibly impressive. This is a dude who earned snaps in a backfield with two absolute studs in Corum and Edwards. He earned 6 real snaps against Alabama and 5 real snaps against OSU. Those are end-to-end competitive games, with the season on the line, and with 2 NFL backs available and Mullings getting snaps anyway! This is after he spent 3 seasons mostly a linebacker! An incredible turn of events but he showed on the field he absolutely earned it.
Now, it's true that some of those snaps still came at FB or a 2-RB set paired with Edwards. But some of those snaps also came in a short yardage role (the kind of thing that Khalid Hill and Ben Mason used to do). Mullings earned that too (which is why he was the 2nd back in the game a couple times).
The coaches, clearly, saw that Mullings brought something to the table and, although his role was very limited, it was still impressive and notable.
Obviously with Corum gone he and Edwards will both take on much bigger roles than they had in 2023 and the pairing has a really nice lightning/thunder balance that we hope can work well.
I'd love to see Edwards and Mullings continue to share a backfield and bring the dual dual threat backfield. WR/RB and FB/RB presents some potentially tough matchups for defenses, especially with a QB that presents a run/pass threat.
I don't think Mullings will get to 750 yards unless Edwards misses time but I think he could get double digit touchdowns (if Orji doesn't steal too much goalline action). I've been a skeptic of Mullings in the past but his emergence last season caused me to change my mind. Trust the coaches. I'm looking forward to watching him thrive in 2024 as a solid complement to Edwards.
Edwards did an interview this off-season where he talked about losing the #2 spot to Mullings at one point. Sam Webb has also discussed it. If you don't want to believe Edwards and Sam Webb about it, then that's up to you.
DeleteWhich game was it?
DeleteGuessing you don't know.
That wasn't specified, but my educated guess is that it was Minnesota. Kalel Mullings won Co-Offensive Player of the Week the previous week, entered the Minnesota game before Edwards, and had more touches than Edwards. But that's not really the point, is it? What matters is that Edwards was dropped to #3 at his position, not whether I know which game it was.
DeleteIt matters if it didn't happen. Edwards played more snaps than Mullings, even with Mullings catching up with Jack Tuttle at QB. The second to last drive of the game (Michigan up 52-10) was 4 of Mullings 8 runs. First half was mostly Corum and Edwards. Second half Corum hardly played and it was mostly Edwards and Mullings. Blowout ensued Tuttle and Mullings get a bunch of their snaps.
DeleteSo you're saying Donovan Edwards and Sam Webb made up the fact that Edwards was demoted to the #3 running back at one point in 2023? That's a bold take.
DeleteLOL. I didn't say that. I didn't hear that. I'm saying the facts are the Edwards played more snaps, and Edwards had more carries before garbage time. Those ACTIONS are telling.
DeleteMullings got used on the 1st drive on 4th and 1. The next 6 non-Corum RB touches went to Edwards. Mullings 2nd touch of the game was in the 3rd quarter, after Corum had exited for good.
The usage, and the timing of the usage, and the substitutions don't indicate that it was anything other than 1. Corum 2. Edwards and 3. Mullings. With Mullings carving out a short yardage role for himself, Edwards getting most of the 3rd down package, and Blake being the super stud ahead of them.
Mullings had 1 touch before Corum was on the bench for good in the 3rd. Edwards played more snaps and was done by garbage time. Mullings got most of his work in Tuttle time. These are the facts.
Mullings had a great year for him where he ascended to RB3. Edwards was RB2. Corum was RB1. It's not that complicated.
The following week Ben Hall led the entire team in rushing yardage and had as many carries as Donovan Edwards. Maybe Ben Hall was the one who was RB2 and not Kalel Mullings? Hall played 16 snaps against MSU - more than Mullings had in any game the entire season. Edwards season LOW was 18.
Thunder you know better than to used The Don's own words
DeleteLmao, Lank using his burner Anon account at 4:o2 ... peak misleading, lying and lack of good faith discussion
Edwards was never used as a #2, so nobody knows when that happened, if it happened, if Edwards said that. We certainly don't know that Mullings was elevated.
DeleteWhat we do know is what happened on the field.
Otherwise just more Jelly having Lank fantasies again.
#3. Edwards was never used as #3
Delete-Lank on his "burner" LOL
That was me.
DeleteOn my "burner" again. Burning things, in Jelly's fantasies. LOL
DeleteIs that a common HS-to-college position change, RB to LB?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say it's a common position change, but it's not uncommon. I've heard some coaches talk about the advantages of having a running back at linebacker, because they see the creases and running lanes opening up. It also helps that the two positions can be somewhat equally sized. You could be a 6'1", 215 lb. running back and pretty easily bulk up to be a 235 lb. linebacker.
DeleteMullings was a two-way player in high school, though, so it wasn't a huge position change for him. Some Power 5 teams were recruiting him as a running back out of high school. Michigan just happened to start him off at linebacker.
It's pretty common. At the high school level you can out athlete people and the RB position is elevated in importance. But at the power 5 level there's tons of excellent athletes that can play RB and you aren't going to get guys who just juke around everyone or run past everyone (though Don Edwards does this kind of often with his elite acceleration). Same reason you don't see run-first QBs (like Denard) in the NFL.
DeleteSo some elite athletes are going to be RB in high school and then have to move to a position in college that fits them better (and that more bodies are needed at) like LB.
Thanks, Thunder ... I really appreciate your insights into these things. You have a refreshing "no nonsense" way of explaining things.
DeleteLank @ 3:37 -- your points walks us into a discussion about athletic skill and priority needs at the high school level, versus the college, and then versus the NFL. For example, I've read that there are many high school left tackles that really aren't left tackles at the next level, but because they're big and strong in high school, that's the area where that person is most needed. In high school, good athletes are needed at the RB position because the high school game relies on running because the QBs are not all elite passers. Now body type comes into play, and it makes me wonder about the natural alignment of positions based on body type when one moves from HS to college. RB/LB seems to be one. WR/CB is another. OL/DL is another. QB/WR seems to be one, as I've seen a fair number of HS QBs go WR in college.
DeleteAnd this is why I asked the question about RB --> LB. I had a sense about the body type; I didn't have a sense for how the skillset of the RB might map to the LB role. So my question was in the ballpark of those things: body type affinity role vs. role; skillset affinity role vs. role.
The one surefire rule seems to be...nobody converts from any other position to be a quarterback! LOL. It's the toughest position to play in any sport, in my opinion.
Delete@Anon. Good questions raised. I think you're right that QBs and RBs in high school are prime candidates to move to other positions.
Delete@Thunder. Absolutely the toughest to play in football because you both need to have a certain athletic floor (arm strength, agility), a certain skill level (throw accuracy), and even that is just a minimum requirement because the REAL differentiator is going to be non-physical characteristics (knowing offenses, defenses, analyzing in real time, and quick decision-making). Plus it's the highest profile position with the most pressure (like being a hitter in baseball except you're up almost every time LOL).
@Thunder, @Lank ... a case could be made for golfer being the toughest "position" to play -- and here's the necessary qualifier -- at the very highest level. That said, here's a question:
DeleteQ: if you could be a backup QB in the NFL, or be a very good golfer on the senior circuit, which would you choose?
There are pros and cons to each. Thoughts?
Golfer -- for two reasons: (1) the difference between being one of the best and an also-ran is a razor-thin margin based on skill, mental acuity, and at times, luck; and (2) the golfer has absolutely nobody else to "blame" for not winning.
DeleteI've heard it said, and I've read, that golf is some high-percentage mental, and that "the yips" is a very real thing. Even the smallest dropoff of mental focus and confidence can cost a few strokes per game, and at the highest level, that's enough to win or be out of the money.
Now, that said, while the golfer does have a lot of things to think about -- lie, wind, obstacles, etc. -- it's nothing like what a QB faces when he looks over a defense and has to read, within a second or two, what's going on. After that, a lot of things have to go right, both by him and others.
I would choose whichever option is less likely to expose me to 270 pound dudes running full speed at me trying to cause me as much physical pain as possible and risking a career-ending injury every time I play.
DeleteSenior golf tour it is!
DeleteHmmm...I mean, I don't like golf that much (it's fine but I don't have a passion for it), so I'd rather be a backup QB in the NFL if I had the talent for it. There are also fewer active NFL quarterbacks than there are PGA players. PGA events usually have 100+ participants, while NFL teams keep 2-3 quarterbacks on the roster, so there are like 70-90 active NFL quarterbacks.
DeleteYou'd look good sportin' a clipboard!
DeleteThe upside of being a backup QB in the NFL is the certainty of pay as long as you're on the team. PGA players don't have that. The downside is the very real risk of being injured if you're brought in and some behemoth of a guy got through and smashed you. But there's been a lot of backup QBs that have enjoyed long careers. Chad Henne comes to mind.
For my part, I think there is a decent chance that Mullings ends the year with more RUSH yards than does Edwards, although I think Edwards will get more snaps (if healthy). I also hope there are a decent amount of plays with both in the game.
ReplyDeleteLow probably, but possible
DeleteDude is a VIOLENT (read SMASH) runner ... but there is no replacing Edwards homerun potential
Definitely a thunder & lightening pair
As we saw in 2022, RB2 can become RB1 pretty quickly.
DeleteAs long as both guys stay healthy, I think Edwards will lead the team in rushing. Mullings could end up scoring more touchdowns since he seems like someone who would be in on goal line snaps more often. Edwards can break those 40+ yard runs, whereas Mullings seems a little less likely to break the big runs. I'm interested to see Mullings break out once or twice just to see what he looks like in the open field.
DeleteI agree that Mullings is less likely to break the big runs. But he seem like a guy that may break more 7-12 yard runs and 4 yard runs that keep moving the chains. I want Edwards to lead the way because that leads to more explosive plays and I think if Edwards is a successful back, it will be a good offense. But right now Mullings seems like a more instinctive and consistent back (yes, small sample size) and in the tough games, those backs tend to get more carries. Plus I think they may use Edwards on passes out of the backfield or split wide sometimes.
DeleteYeah Mullings is not just a short yardage moose back. It looks like he could be a capable primary back if needed. I think Edwards can do more things on more downs though. Mullings should also be playing a good bit of FB with 21 personnel.
DeleteThe other stuff - Mullings has just played so few snaps that's I am not going to draw too many conclusions yet. Edwards has had vastly different games from 170 yards receiving to 200 yards rushing to scuffling against poor competition at various points in his career. He's played a lot and done a lot and a lot of conclusions and speculation around Edwards has been disproven already in his first 3 seasons, for better and for worse. (for example, I was not immediately impressed by his physical talent after his first few runs. that changed fast!)
Mullings experience level at RB is more like a sophomore than a 5th year senior. So while I think everyone is impressed and optimistic, there's a lot more for him to do this year and being RB3 is a lot different than being RB1B or RB1A.
Lmao, from "RBs don't matter" to "Mullings has played so few snaps ... experience level is more like a sophomore ... there's a lot more to do"
DeleteAnd "RB3 is a lot different than RB1"
Good God, what a walking contradiction
#noQuotes
"Bailey Zappe proves me right!" Bailey Zappe gets cut....crickets.
DeleteMeanwhile
"something something" about depth charts and experience changes contrasted with... positional value?
Logic. Facepalm. Not built for this.
#Garbage
#noquotes
#caseclosed
You're changing the subject ... DODGING. You are not "built for this" ... just not smart enough
Delete*Zappe was ahead when I wrote that ... don't lie to cover you being wrong about Joe AGAIN
#garbage
#iwin
#caseclosed
"RBs don't matter" is changing the subject.
DeleteJoe exceeded your modest expectations for him for the 5th year in a row.
Hold it up high. Sorry, hold all them up high.
Pointing out your contradictions is NOT changing the subject, no matter how badly it hurts
DeleteThe L is yours. Easily
Keep telling yourself there's a contradiction. It's clear you believe yourself. But let's be honest - you don't. You're just desperate to talk to Lank.
Delete"*Zappe was ahead when I wrote that "
DeleteLOL. Well YOU thought Zappe was ahead. When you thought that you made a BIG DEAL about how Zappe's path through a lower level of competition was why he was ahead of Milton.
But Zappe was older and more experienced in the NFL...but he wasn't ahead afterall now was he? LOLOLOL
"I was right before I was proven wrong" - the JeLLLLy mantra
You were wrong, sorry, but that's not even the funny part. The funny part is that the foundation of your logical was flawed in the first place -- Zappe MOVED UP in level of competition, so not even that proved your point that Joe should MOVE DOWN his level of competition.
Stacking those L's up high. Garbage takes. Sometimes they're exposed real quick and sometimes they take years but in the end the takes are always garbage.
Zappe was ahead, and entered the game first. Neither performed well, so you keep the guy with the most upside (Arm Howitzer). That's the League
DeleteYES, Zappe moved up. I said Milton needed a year or two at FCS or G5 - starter snaps - to IMPROVE. He went to Tennessee, sat the bench, and has the same problems now that he did in Ann Arbor
I was right
#caseclosed
Milton is on an NFL roster. Zappe is on a practice squad. Milton was chosen over Zappe by the Patriots and Zappe got cut. The rest of the NFL said "yeah seems about right". You argue Milton would be better off if he was more like Zappe but you were proven wrong because Milton is better off because he is like Milton.
DeleteYou wanted Milton to be like Zappe (hint: he already was. Neither Zappe nor Milton would take your advice to avoid a challenge and find an easier fight they were assured of winning.) but you were wrong. They aren't afraid of real competition.
You were wrong, again, and everytime.
No one believes your lies jeLLLY. Not even you. Here's some more inconvenient facts for a guy who "sat the bench":
CAREER HONORS
2024 Reese's Senior Bowl Invitee
Maxwell Award Player of the Week (vs. Vanderbilt, 11/25/23)
Manning Award Star of the Week (vs. Vanderbilt, 11/25/23)
Reese's Senior Bowl Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Vanderbilt, 11/25/23)
East-West Shrine Bowl Monday Morning Quarterback (vs. Vanderbilt, 11/25/23)
SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Virginia, 9/2/23)
2023 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Semifinalist
2023 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Top 25 Candidate
2022 Capital One Orange Bowl MVP
CAREER
Strong-armed, veteran quarterback who played three seasons with the Vols after beginning his career at Michigan … Played in 43 games with 21 starts in his collegiate career, including 29 appearances at Tennessee with 16 starts … Possesses all of the tools to be a future NFL quarterback … Served as the starter for the first two games of the 2021 season for UT before being injured … Stayed the course, developed and spelled an injured Hendon Hooker to start the final two games of the 2022 campaign, capping it with an MVP performance in the Capital One Orange Bowl … Enrolled at Tennessee in June 2021 after playing three seasons at Michigan, including the 2020 campaign in which he was the starter in five games … Wore the SEC graduate patch after earning his bachelor’s degree from Michigan in May 2021 … In 14 career games at Michigan, accounted for 1,350 total yards of offense — 1,194 passing and 156 rushing — and eight TDs – five passing and three rushing ... Wore No. 5 at Michigan but wore No. 7 at Tennessee, the number he wore in high school ... Owned a 13-8 record as a starter in college, including 11-5 at Tennessee … In three seasons with the Vols, completed 314- of-498 (.631) passes for 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns with five interceptions … Accounted for 4,664 yards of total offense at UT, adding nine scores and 505 yards on the ground ... Finished 12th in UT career total offense … Threw 216 passes at UT before his first interception as a Vol, which was the second-longest streak of attempts without a pick in program history (Hendon Hooker, 261) and the ninth-longest streak in SEC history ... From Nov. 12, 2022 vs. Missouri to Nov. 11, 2023 at Missouri, threw at least one touchdown pass in 14 consecutive appearances, which is the third-longest streak in UT history ... Fired 24 completions of 40 or more yards in his time at Tennessee … Ranked among college football’s top 100 players for the 2023 season by On3.com … Selected to and participated in the Senior Bowl in January.
Zappe has been on a roster, and has even started games ... YOU doubted Joe would get this far. Why? GARBAGE is why
DeleteHow did that Senior Bowl go? Threw TWO UGLY picks, contributing to your prediction he wouldn't get drafted. YOU don't believe YOU. You agree with me, but don't want to admit it past "Garbage" (a quote)
Conference bottom dwellers Virginia & Vandy, with 2-6 conference records ... yay?
Big brother award, yay?
Top25 upper classman ... is that supposed to be good?
13-8 is not good numbnuts. That's JOK level "garbage" (a quote)
Neither is 21 starts in SIX seasons. 71 games, 5o on the bench ... must've been "garbage" (a quote)
I can cherry pick stats too: GARBAGE Joe (year6) had less yards than pedestrian Shea Patterson (year4). Less TDs. Worse TD:INT ratio. Lower QBR. Lost more games. This, for a guy playing in a Josh Huepel "Air Raid" against a Harball Run first Run often ...
Lmao, at least the ScreenRaid is dead in Knoxville. Back to an actual Air Raid!
Easily manipulated. Got you back on Milton, during a Kaleel Mullings preseason post. I own you
#caseclosed
#n0tBuiLtf0rtHiS