Senior Donovan Edwards told WXYZ-TV on Saturday that he plans to sit out the Dec. 31 matchup against No. 11 Alabama to begin preparing for his professional football career, one of several NFL-bound Wolverines expected to miss the postseason game.

The Michigan Wolverines will be down a running back when they face the Alabama Crimson Tide in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Senior tailback Donovan Edwards announced Sunday that he would opt out of the ReliaQuest Bowl matchup,

The ReliaQuest Bowl sees the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines take the field on Tuesday, December 31, 2024. The matchup begins at 12 p.m. ET and airs on ESPN.The Crimson Tide faced

Neither the Alabama Crimson Tide or the Michigan Wolverines had the types of seasons they wanted in 2024. Alabama (9-3 overall) lost three games, which was one too many to keep them out of the 12-team College Football Playoff.

This will be the second consecutive year in which the Wolverines and the Crimson Tide square off in postseason play. A year ago, Michigan defeated Alabama in the Rose Bowl on it's way to defeating DeBoer's previous team, the Washington Huskies, in the national championship game.

Michigan running back Donovan Edwards told reporters he will not play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against No. 11 Alabama to focus on preparing for the NFL Draft.

Michigan running back Donovan Edwards told reporters Sunday he will not play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against No. 11 Alabama on Dec. 31 to focus on preparing for the NFL draft. Edwards has 589 yards rushing and four touchdowns for the defending national champion Wolverines (7-5) this season.