Donovan Edwards Is Getting Benched in Big Ten RB Rankings — Here’s Why That’s Fair

Donovan Edwards was arguably the most disappointing player in college football last season, and now he’s getting benched behind Treyveon Henderson in Big Ten running back rankings. Until he proves otherwise, that’s exactly where he belongs.

Donovan Edwards needs to show something. Anything. Because right now, the Michigan running back is living off one great national championship performance while the rest of his 2024 season was, frankly, a disaster.

The Heavyweights put together their Big Ten running back rankings, and Edwards? Benched. Treyveon Henderson gets the start, Nathan Carter gets cut entirely, and Edwards is left trying to prove he belongs in the conversation at all.

Harsh? Maybe. But also completely justified.

Edwards Was the Most Disappointing Player in College Football

Let’s not sugarcoat this. Before that national championship game — the one everyone wants to use as proof Edwards is elite — he was horrible. The most disappointing player in college football, full stop.

People don’t want to remember that part. They want to remember the title game heroics and pretend the rest of the season didn’t happen. But it did happen. And it was ugly.

There’s no proof Edwards can be a bell-cow back. None. He hasn’t shown he can carry a workload the way a true feature back needs to. Meanwhile, Treyveon Henderson has been doing exactly that for Ohio State for two years running.

Treyveon Henderson Has Actually Earned the Starting Spot

Henderson was better last year than people realize. A lifetime 6.2 yards per carry. Double-digit touchdowns as both a freshman and a junior. The production is there. The consistency is there.

Yeah, he’s going to share carries with Quinshon Judkins at Ohio State — a guy who probably deserves to be in the top three conversation himself. But Henderson has proven he can produce at an elite level in the Big Ten. Edwards hasn’t.

That’s the difference. Henderson has the resume. Edwards has potential and one big game.

Edwards Can Change This — But He’s Got to Actually Do It

Here’s the thing: Edwards absolutely has the talent to be a starter by the end of the year. The national championship performance wasn’t a fluke — that’s real ability. He’s probably the best pass-catcher of the three backs in this conversation.

But talent doesn’t mean anything if you can’t put it together for a full season. Edwards has to show he can be consistent. He has to prove last year was the outlier, not the title game.

Until then? He stays on the bench in these rankings. And honestly, that should motivate him. Michigan needs him to bounce back in a big way, and right now there’s zero evidence he’s ready to do it.

Prove us wrong, Donovan. Because right now, Treyveon Henderson is the guy.

The Takeaways

• Edwards was the most disappointing player in college football last year — one championship game doesn’t erase that
• Treyveon Henderson’s 6.2 career YPC and consistent production earns him the starting nod over Edwards
• Edwards has the talent to flip this by season’s end, but he needs to actually show it for a full year

Watch the full segment on YouTube: Donovan Edwards NEEDS To Have a Bounce-Back Year for Michigan