The Michigan football program knew it would be without the face of its running back room after Donovan Edwards announced earlier this month he would sit out the team’s bowl game; it now knows it will also be without its leading rusher, too.

Senior running back Kalel Mullings was among those who did not travel with the team for Tuesday’s ReliaQuest Bowl, program spokesman Dave Ablauf confirmed to the Free Press on Friday. Mullings officially declared for the NFL draft Friday night via social media, but never stated whether he would play vs. Alabama on New Year’s Eve.

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Senior safety Makari Paige also did not travel with U-M, Ablauf confirmed, though unlike Mullings, Paige has a year of eligibility remaining.

As expected, none of the six Michigan players who’ve declared for the NFL draft — cornerback Will Johnson, tight end Colston Loveland, offensive lineman Myles Hinton or defensive linemen Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Josaiah Stewart — were in attendance at Jesuit High School on Friday.

Between Mullings, who ran 185 times for 948 yards (5.1 per touch) and 12 touchdowns, and Edwards, who ran 128 times for 589 yards and four touchdowns, U-M will be missing more than 1,500 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.

For what it’s worth, interim offensive coordinator Steve Casula didn’t seem too worried about their replacements.

“The running back room has been fun to watch,” he said Friday morning. “Ben Hall, of course, has played for us. Jordan Marshall. Micah Ka’apana. Bryson Kuzdal. Those guys, watching them grow and evolve has been really fun to watch.”

Technically, U-M’s leading rusher entering the game is quarterback Alex Orji. Though the junior, who ran 53 times for 260 yards and one TD, has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal, he’s still allowed to practice with his current team, per NCAA rules.

“Alex is definitely; he’s here, he’s practicing, he’s available for sure,” Casula said. “So we’ll kind of progress and do whatever we need to do to win the game.”

The Wolverines will be down multiple starters on the offensive line, nearly its entire starting defensive line, multiple players in the secondary and depth pieces from various units across the board, which will require a number of unproven pieces to step up.

In a way, that includes Casula, who is the bridge between recently fired offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell and incoming OC Chip Lindsey from North Carolina. But Casula said he hasn’t been fazed by the changes.