Running back-rich U-M expects fierce battle for playing time

Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News

Ann Arbor -- The way Michigan assistant coach Fred Jackson sees it, the competition is wide open at running back this season.

With Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown and Kevin Grady gone -- the three accounted for 13 of Michigan's 27 rushing touchdowns last season -- there are plenty of candidates to run the ball this fall for the Wolverines. That includes incoming freshmen Stephen Hopkins and Austin White, who have enrolled early and will participate in spring practice starting next month.

"This year particularly, when I go in that (position meeting) room the first day, all those seats are empty in my eyes," Jackson said. "They all got an opportunity to sit in the first seat, the second seat, the third seat, and I'm going to tell them that.

"I'm going to tell them what I'm going to base their playing time on so they all have an idea what I'm looking for. I think every day is going to be a fist fight, in terms of how they're going to go in practice. I'm going to make it that way."

Among the returning tailbacks, Vincent Smith, who played last season as a freshman, Michael Shaw, who will be a junior this fall, and Michael Cox, who will be a redshirt sophomore, all saw game action during Michigan's 5-7 season.

Smith looked promising and averaged 5.8 yards on 48 carries, but offseason knee surgery will force him to miss spring practice. Shaw had 42 carries and averaged 4.4 yards and scored two touchdowns, while Cox, a bigger presence at 6-foot, 215 pounds, had 13 carries but scored twice.

Then there's Fitzgerald Toussaint, a 5-10, 185-pounder who had to redshirt last season after breaking a shoulder blade. Jackson is extremely interested in seeing Toussaint during the spring.

"He's as talented as anyone who walked in the door," said Jackson, who has coached Michigan career leading rusher Michael Hart, Chris Perry, Anthony Thomas and Tyrone Wheatley, to name a few.

Jackson said he had never before heard of a player breaking his shoulder blade. But before the injury, Jackson saw budding talent.

"He's got great feet, acceleration, strength, power," Jackson said. "I can compare him to somebody -- he's like a fast Chris Perry. He's going to be very good.

"He's got (former Michigan defensive end) Brandon Graham's type personality. Every time you see him, he's smiling, messing with you, playing with you. Ups and downs you don't see a whole lot of that out of that kid. The kid's always got a football face on or smiling."

Spring practice also will give Jackson a chance to see if White and Hopkins will compete for playing time this fall. Jackson has a good feel for what White, from nearby Livonia Stevenson, can do.

"Competitive guy who's got excellent ball skills," Jackson said of the 6-foot, 190-pound White. "He's very physical. He can make the shallow cuts. He's got some things he needs to work on. He's going to be a very productive football player, not just because of his work ethic and his toughness, but because of his knowledge of football. He's pretty sharp."

White said he will add versatility to the Michigan backfield because of his pass-catching ability. Enrolling early, he said, was a calculated decision so he can hone his skills in the spring and during offseason workouts.

"That's why I'm here early, and I'm going to work as hard as I can and hopefully see the field," White said. "I think it's important to any player (to play early). If you don't want to play, you shouldn't be here.

"It's important to me, but at the same time I know when to speak up about stuff and when to just keep my mouth shut and work."

When Minor was healthy, he gave the Wolverines a physical, bruising presence out of the backfield. Hopkins, from Double Oak, Texas, has impressed Jackson as that type of player.

"I've liked him for two years," Jackson said. "I saw him live in a scrimmage carry the ball 40-plus times when the defense knew it was going to be nothing but runs. He just keeps coming at you. He's a big ol' strong body. He started getting his pads lower and lower and knocking guys farther and farther back -- I'm talking about after 25-30 carries.

"He knew I was standing there, but to see him doing that in a scrimmage in the heat, probably 95 degrees, he showed me everything. I didn't have to see him in a game, because what I saw in practice told me all I wanted to know about a football player."

Hopkins, who said he will wear No. 33, likes his chances of playing this fall.

"I didn't come here to sit my first year," Hopkins said. "For the most part, the only big back they still have is Mike Cox, so I definitely have a chance to get on the field because that's about all they have."

angelique.chengelis@detnews.com