Listen up, y'all, because Michigan Wolverines star running back Kalel Mullings has a message for all the college football fans. He's standing on business. Mullings is paying no attention to the NCAA investigation, and Michigan remains focused only on football.
“My whole time I’ve been here, it’s always been something; and it’s probably always going to be something. For us as a team, we’re not going to focus on that right now. It’s camp. We’re focused on getting better, and we’re focused on (the season opener) Aug. 31.”
A notice of allegations hit the university in early August over sign-stealing. As Kalel Mullings said, it always seems to be something. Last year, now-departed head coach Jim Harbaugh served a multi-game suspension and even more punishment and sanctions from the NCAA recently.
Michigan football and Kalel Mullings persevering despite NCAA investigations
We often forget that these college programs are made up of young college students whose lives are already complicated enough. First-year head coach Sherrone Moore must diligently isolate them from the surrounding noise. The job should be to instill a work ethic, morality, and a sense of purpose. Unfortunately, yet another NCAA investigation.
Players like Mullings can only control what they can do on the field. In 2023, his first full season as a running back, Mullings was given limited playing time and rushed for 222 yards on only 36 carries. The fifth-year senior exemplifies what it is to be a “Michigan Man” and does what is necessary to help the football team by switching positions.
Moore and the university itself must take the brunt of these latest allegations. Deleting texts isn't a good look. Unfortunately, many of the NCAA's blue blood programs skirt the edge of the rule book.
Dave Ablauf, a Michigan spokesman, told the Detroit Free Press recently, “Our athletic department and university continue to cooperate with the NCAA regarding our ongoing investigation. We do not have an update to share regarding its status at this time.”
Michigan football moved on from Harbaugh, Chris Partridge, Denard Robinson, and Connor Stalions via a new job, firing, or resignation and all four are accused of recruiting violations. The bigger question might be, does anyone care about violations or NCAA investigations anymore?
It seems that every year, more and more programs commit infractions while the NCAA is toothless in its punishments. Following the rules certainly matters to Michigan's rivals, but it's unclear why a program should care if there's no real deterrence besides bad press.
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