Edwards was born in 2003 in West Bloomfield, Michigan, the son of Kevin and Donna Edwards.
[2] His mother, Donna, died from cancer in 2005, when Donovan was two years old. He was raised by his father, Kevin Edwards Sr., and older brother, Kevin Jr.[3] Edwards’ grandfather, Charlie Primas Jr, won Mr. Basketball in Michigan in 1950.
Edwards played high school football at West Bloomfield High School under head coach Ronald Bellamy, who would later join Edwards at the University of Michigan as an assistant coach. He was high school teammates with Makari Paige and Semaj Morgan. As a senior, in 2020, he rushed for 1,502 yards and 30 touchdowns, leading West Bloomfield to a Division 1 state championship.
Edwards was honored as the 2020 Gatorade Michigan Football Player of the Year [4], selected as the captain of the Detroit Free Press 2020 Dream Team [5] and was named Mr. Football for the state of Michigan. He was rated as a five-star recruit by 247Sports.[6]
College career
In December 2020, Edwards committed to the University of Michigan. He announced the decision on ESPN, choosing Michigan over the University of Georgia, University of Notre Dame, and the University of Oklahoma.[7] He enrolled early at Michigan in January 2021.[8]
Freshman Season
During the 2021 season, Edwards rushed for 174 yards on eight carries and caught 20 passes for 265 yards. He scored his first two touchdowns against Northern Illinois on September 18, 2021, a 4-yard and 58-yard touchdown.[9] In the first half of the Big Ten Championship Game against Iowa on December 4, Edwards threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Roman Wilson, after receiving a backward pass from quarterback Cade McNamara.[10]
Sophomore Season
In 2022, Edwards played in 11 games, with three starts. Edwards rushed for 991 yards, had 200 yards receiving, and scored 9 touchdowns. He earned his first career start against Michigan State on October 29. He totaled 80 yards in the win.
On November 26, Edwards led Michigan to a victory against rival Ohio State in Columbus, rushing for 216 yards with touchdown runs of 75 and 85 yards in the fourth quarter.
The following week, in the Big Ten Championship game, Edwards rushed for 185 yards and one touchdown against Purdue to win the conference championship and earn the Big Ten Championship MVP award.
On December 31, in the Fiesta Bowl (CFP Semifinal), Edwards rushed for his third straight 100-yard game with 119 yards on 23 carries in the loss to TCU.
Junior Season
In 2023, Edwards played in all 15 games on Michigan’s national championship team, finishing with 746 rushing and receiving yards, 5 touchdowns, and a career-high 30 receptions.
On January 8, 2024, in the national championship game, Edwards rushed for 104 yards, including touchdown runs of 41 and 46 yards, becoming the first player in college football playoff history to have two rushing touchdowns of over 40 yards in a national championship game, and leading Michigan to victory versus the Washington Huskies. [11]
Donovan Edwards (104 yards) and Blake Corum (134 yards) also became the first pair of teammates in college football playoff history to each rush for over 100 yards in the national championship game.[12]
Senior Season
Entering his senior season, ESPN listed Edwards as the #7 ranked running back in college football prior to the 2024 season. [13] Pro Football Focus also included Edwards in their top 10 college running back list. [14
