Former Michigan star is quietly on the Chargers' chopping block

Playing for the University of Michigan has not created the fast track to joining Jim Harbaugh on the LA Chargers in the way many fans expected. While it was enough to get some players a roster spot, such as running back Hassan Haskins, it may not be enough to keep them around.

The Chargers did draft two players from Michigan in Harbaugh's first year as head coach in linebacker Junior Colson and wide receiver Cornelius Johnson. Johnson, however, was cut before the season and was not picked up on the practice squad. Being from Michigan did not automatically earn him a spot on the roster.

That may happen in 2024 with Haskins, who was claimed off waivers last season to be a short-yardage and special-teams back. After a draft where the Chargers avoided Michigan altogether, the team may cut ties with one of the few Michigan players on the roster.

Former Michigan running back Hassan Haskins is on the Chargers' chopping block

Haskins was claimed last season as a short-yardage back who provided something no other back in the room provided: special-teams value. J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards were too important for the offense to play too much on special teams and rookie Kimani Vidal wasn't ready for that kind of role.

Haskins also got some looks as a short-yardage back in the Chargers' offense. Haskins carried the ball 34 times for 89 yards last season and picked up the first two rushing touchdowns of his NFL career.

Overall, Haskins played just 13% of the team's offensive snaps but played 63% of the special teams snaps. That role is what kept him in Los Angeles last season.

While he still adds the same special-teams value, the running-back room is much more crowded in 2025 than it was in 2024. Najee Harris and first-round pick Omarion Hampton will be the two primary backs with Vidal providing even more potential in his second season.

There is also UDFA Raheim Sanders, whom the Chargers like so much they excluded him from certain drills during rookie minicamp. Haskins has to outplay Sanders in training camp to secure his spot, but even then, the Chargers may prefer the younger option with fewer miles.

Haskins played for Harbaugh at Michigan for all four seasons and really broke out in 2021. As a senior, Haskins carried the ball 270 times for 1,327 yards with 20 rushing touchdowns. Blake Corum's instant breakout after Haskins left made Haskins' 20 touchdowns less impressive but he still has the fourth-most in school history for a single season.

He and Corum are the only Wolverines in the last 100 years to have 20 or more rushing touchdowns in a season. This breakout was good enough to get Haskins drafted in the fourth round by the Tennessee Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft. However, his success has not extended to the NFL.

Now, he enters a season where he could get cut by his former college coach, leaving him to scramble to figure out what's next.