Michigan RB says Savion Hiter is 'going to be a dude'

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There are few freshmen who have as much anticipation for fans across college football to see as running back Savion Hiter.

Named the CBS Sports preseason freshman of the year, Hiter comes in as the top-ranked tailback in the 2026 class and has the body and capability to be an early contributor. For Michigan football, he'll be the No. 2 back behind starter Jordan Marshall, but he will see the field early and often, despite Saturday being his college football debut.

Hiter may have surpassed extant running back Bryson Kuzdzal on the depth chart, but on Tuesday, Kuzdzal is excited about what the former five-star brings to the table.

"He's super explosive, is the main thing I say," Kuzdzal said. "When he hits left, right, forward, he's going, and he's getting far off that first step. That's one of the biggest things. Also, his willingness to learn. He's learning from me and Jordan. He's picking up the ball faster than most freshmen I've seen come through here. He's going to be a dude."

One of the elements of Hiter's game is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Head coach Kyle Whittingham spoke about his hands on the Inside Michigan Football radio show on Monday evening, and while he was effusive in his praise, he's not the only one who sees his capability in that element.

Kuzdzal shared more about how impactful Hiter can be in the pass game and detailed some of his work to get ready to have that element of his game ready for the 2026 season.

"Savion, once again, once he gets the ball in his hands, he's out," Kuzdzal said. "Then he did a lot of… T.A. (Tony Alford) had him working on the jugs a lot throughout this offseason. He was already good at it, but you can always get better. He's taken to that really well."

Fans will get to see Hiter in action on Saturday, when Michigan football hosts Western Michigan at 7:36 p.m. EDT at The Big House. The game will be nationally broadcast on NBC.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan RB says Savion Hiter is 'going to be a dude'

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