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Running back Donovan Edwards broke out last season for Michigan football. His knack for excelling with the pressure at its highest instantly garnered him national recognition.
The Wolverines may not have gotten the end result they expected, but a spot in the College Playoff would have been unattainable without the sophomore. What is most difficult to fathom, though, is that Edwards was well below 100 percent almost the entire season.
From Week 2 on, he played with a partially torn patella. “I got that fixed up, had surgery in February and just been rehabbing now,” Edwards told ESPN's Tom VanHaaren. “I'm up to par now, running, cutting, doing all that good stuff. So, like that recovery wasn't going to take long, about four months to get full speed, three months for me to feel good.”
It boggles the mind to think that Donovan Edwards carved up Ohio State on the road for 216 rushing yards and two touchdowns before then winning Big Ten Championship MVP honors against Purdue a week later (185 yards and a score) at less than full strength. Few possess the necessary mental and physical fortitude to push through such discomfort.
Edwards did not just tough it out. He thrived with over 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns from scrimmage. The 20-year-old also injured his hand in November and had to play with a cast. That grit should give fans an abundance of hope that head coach Jim Harbaugh and Michigan football can rally from a disappointing 51-46 loss in the Fiesta Bowl to TCU.
Recovering from surgery is no easy task, but this athlete has already defied logic. Fans should bet on him willing himself back to the top form that everyone witnessed last season.