ANN ARBOR, Mich. — While we know that Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall are the one-two punch that the Wolverines will trot out at running back this year, it’s a bit more unclear as to who the third back will be. Micah Ka’apana and Bryson Kuzdzal both did well in the spring game and will likely see some time, and Michigan football brought in Princeton transfer John Volker to add some depth.

But one player has been getting a lot of hype in fall camp as being a potential third back and that’s freshman running back Jasper Parker.

A three-star recruit from Marrero (La.) Archbishop Shaw, Parker wasn’t a household name in recruiting circles, but he was a player that the Wolverines identified and held on for dear life, hoping that the connection would stick given the distance. But running backs coach Tony Alford is excited to have him on campus now, and he’s seen the true freshman make big strides, despite having only been in the college game for about a month.

“Yeah, Jasper’s going to be a really outstanding player. I mean, extremely outstanding player,” Alford said. “He’s a big, strong, physical kid. He’s got really good vision. I think one of the things, he’s a little taller than most of those guys in that room, but he has the ability to kind of sink his hips into contact, and plays behind his pads really well. He’s elusive, he’s got really, really good vision. 

“As far as where he needs to improve, it’s just improve on the details. I mean, where’s your hand placement in blocks? How are you carrying your hand before you approach a block? Just little things, and just the details. We just gotta, in his defense, he’s played college football for I think we’ve had 23, 24 practices. June doesn’t count, July doesn’t count. He wasn’t here in the spring. So really, he’s only played football for 24, 25 days. And the detail that we need to have, and so he’s continually getting better and better. He’s got an extremely bright future here.”

Even so, Alford didn’t know what he knows now during Parker’s recruitment. But once he saw him in person, everything changed.

“I wasn’t sure. I mean, I saw the film, right? But then when I went and watched him play live, I went down to — they had a playoff game. And all of a sudden, quietly, you look up, and it’s almost 200 yards later,” Alford said. “I didn’t realize just how physical he is. I mean, he’s a physical player. In the tape, you can see it, but live in action, it really shows itself. And he loves ball, he really loves ball. In the film, you can’t see that on video, but when you’re around him every day, and just how he wants to learn, and he is in the hip pocket of Jordan and Justice, like their little brother. He really wants to learn and do well, and he’s a pleaser by nature. So he’s a joy to coach, and again, I think the sky’s the limit. I think he’s gonna be a really, really good player for us.”

Fans will almost certainly get to see Parker in action on Saturday when the Wolverines host New Mexico for the 2025 season opener. The game will kick off at 7:36 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast on NBC.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan’s Jasper Parker emerges as potential RB3 in fall camp