Michigan running back Donovan Edwards told reporters he will not play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against No. 11 Alabama on Dec. 31 to focus on preparing for the NFL draft.

Michigan star running back Donovan Edwards will not play against Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl as he prepares for the 2025 NFL Draft

Michigan running back Donovan Edwards told reporters he will not play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against No. 11 Alabama to focus on preparing for the NFL Draft.

Senior Donovan Edwards told WXYZ-TV on Saturday that he plans to sit out the Dec. 31 matchup against No. 11 Alabama to begin preparing for his professional football career, one of several NFL-bound Wolverines expected to miss the postseason game.

The last time Michigan football played in Tampa, in what was then the Outback Bowl, all of the hype surrounding the team was about a quarterback who was incoming. Apparently, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Kalel Mullings led Michigan football in rushes (185), yards (948), and rushing touchdowns (12) but did not travel to Tampa, Florida, with the team.

Michigan's 2024 football season will come to an end on Tuesday when the Wolverines face Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Years Eve. It was an up-and-down season for Sherrone Moore during his first full season as the Wolverines' head coach.

Michigan took the field for its first ReliaQuest Bowl practice in sunny Florida on Friday, and there were some notable absences. Every Wolverines player who has declared for the upcoming NFL draft — tight end Colston Loveland,