Kalel Mullings

Kalel Mullings (born October 4, 2002) is an American football running back for the Michigan Wolverines. He has won three consecutive Big Ten Conference titles and a national championship in 2023.

Early life and high school
Mullings grew up in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, and attended high school at Milton Academy.

In Mullings’ junior season, he rushed for 371 yards and 22 touchdowns, while also notching 289 yard and four touchdowns through the air.

In Mullings’ senior season, he rushed for 509 yards and 12 touchdowns, as well as 33 receptions for 358 yards and five touchdowns. He also returned a punt for a touchdown. On defense Mullings made 51 tackles, four sacks, and had three interceptions. For his performance on the season, he was named the 2019 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year.

Mullings was rated as a four star recruit, and the #92 overall ranked high school player in the country in 2020. Mullings committed to play college football at Michigan, over schools such as Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Stanford.

Freshman and sophomore seasons


Mullings enrolled at the University of Michigan in 2020, playing in 6 games on special teams and recording one tackle. In 2021, Mullings appeared in 13 games on special teams and linebacker, registering 11 tackles.

Junior season
In 2022, Mullings made the switch from linebacker to running back mid season. This was in large part due to late season injuries to Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. Mullings saw immediate action, helping fill the void.

In Michigan's season finale versus rival Ohio State, Mullings would convert a big third down pass for 15 yards to Luke Schoonmaker, and help the Wolverines extend their drive and take a two score lead to beat the Buckeyes.

In the Big Ten Championship Game, Mullings rushed for his first two career touchdowns, helping Michigan win the Big Ten as they beat Purdue. In the Fiesta Bowl, Mullings would rush for a 1-yard touchdown, but he would also have a costly fumble at the goal line recovered by TCU.

Mullings finished the 2022 season with 14 carries for 31 yards and 3 touchdowns, also making 12 tackles.

Senior season(s)
In 2023, Mullings’ first full season as a running back, he earned the third most carries on Michigan's national championship team. He finished the season with 36 carries for 222 yards and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 32 yards, including a key 19 yard reception along the sideline in the Rose Bowl victory versus Alabama.

Following Michigan's national championship celebration, Mullings announced he would be returning for a 5th season in 2024.