An Unlikely Michigan Football Freshman ‘To Watch in 2023’ From 247Sports..
Despite the congested running back room, he demonstrated enough in the spring game to warrant some significant playing time.
The Wolverines have a few freshmen coming into the 2023 football season that might see some significant playing time, but it’s difficult to imagine many of the freshmen getting starting roles in ’23 with Michigan returning so much production from the College Football Playoff squad from the previous season.
A watch list of 23 freshmen has been published by 247Sports for the upcoming football season. Benjamin Hall, the hero of the spring game and running back for Michigan, was among them.
One of the highlights of the Michigan spring game, Hall might rank higher on this list of freshmen impact players if Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards hadn’t been playing in front of him. In 2023, Hall is probably going to start as an RB1 for almost every other Big Ten institution save Penn State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin. He is unique.
Hall wasn’t a major prospect when he transferred from Kennesaw (Georgia) North Cobb to Michigan. According to the Composite ranking, Hall was a three-star back and the 787th-ranked recruit in the 2023 class.
However, Hall is probably going to be the next person to demonstrate why, in the end, stars don’t matter.
The 5-foot-10 back delighted Wolverine fans during the spring game and immediately pleased the coaching staff upon arriving on campus. He gained 96 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Hall can maneuver easily around defenders on the field and is like a bowling ball in that he will only get stronger. Mike Hart, the running back coach and former three-star recruit out of high school, likened him to former five-star recruit Kevin Grady and Hassan Haskins.
Hall is competing with All-American contenders Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards for the No. 3 spot, behind CJ Stokes and Kalel Mullings. A season can be made or broken by one injury, as we seen last year, so having a reliable backup back is essential.
The Michigan running back room might be at its best in a very long time with Hall joining the team. Stokes and Mullings will continue to improve as a result of their competition for the No. 3 spot, and we also can’t overlook Cole Cabana, a four-star freshman.
