Freshman running back Savion Hiter joined the No. 19 Michigan football team in the offseason amid lots of hype. The former five-star prospect earned respect through fall camp for his supposed breakneck speed and raw talent. But how those talents would transfer to collegiate competition remained to be seen.
On Saturday, in the Wolverines’ win against then-No. 11 Oklahoma, fans got flashes of the talented Hiter they were promised.
While Hiter notched just 16 rushing yards against the Sooners, he was a key target through the air for sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood, and the duo connected for 41 yards. In high school, Hiter was known for being a dynamic back, but that was restricted to the ground. Now with Michigan, he’s getting the opportunity to show off his whole range of skills, and so far, all sides have benefited from it.
“I’ve grown comfortable since I got here and they put me in two backs and out wide and anything like that,” Hiter said Tuesday. “I’ve just been getting adjusted because I didn’t really do any of that in high school.”
On the ground, though, Hiter and the rest of the Wolverines have struggled to get consistent production. For the second week in a row, Underwood was Michigan’s leading rusher with 97 yards, triple that of junior running back Jordan Marshall, who secured just 32 yards.
There are likely a few reasons the Wolverines’ run game is taking time to develop. Implementing a new offensive scheme and settling into new roles may be culprits. But Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham also emphasized the need to focus on running north-south for his backs instead of east-west — a sentiment Hiter echoed.
“On one play (against Oklahoma) where I juked the dude to the left, and there was the dude right in front of me, and I cut back, I definitely should have just been straight,” Hiter said. “I’ve been thinking about that the whole week.”
Getting downhill will be paramount for the Wolverines’ running backs in the coming weeks, especially if their pass game continues to struggle. Hiter is still experiencing the expected growing pains that come with being new to a program and higher level of competition. On Saturday, this was displayed in some miscommunications with Underwood and timing disruptions with the offensive line.
But Hiter is confident that as the season wears on, he and Marshall will get into a rhythm and their production will reflect it. Marshall and Hiter’s skill sets complement one another: Whereas Marshall can be a muscle back breaking through holes in the offensive line, Hiter is more comfortable juking out defenders down the sideline. For opposing defenses, this dynamic makes it harder to adapt to opposing styles and lets Hiter and Marshall more easily find gaps to explode through.
“As soon as I get in that rhythm, it’s game over,” Hiter said.
While the run game continues to build, Hiter is seemingly more than happy to slot in out wide. It may not be exactly where he or Michigan fans expected to see him shine, but nonetheless the freshman is ready to show off his skills wherever that may be.
