Michigan football: Blake Corum’s impact at U-M goes far beyond the field

Since Blake Corum’s first snap with Michigan football in October 2020, the Wolverines’ standout running back has become a fan favorite due to his work on and off the football field. As Corum eyes his senior season in the Maize and Blue this fall, we would like to appreciate how vital Corum’s presence is to Michigan’s program.

Blake Corum is the building block of Michigan’s success

Throughout the 2022 Michigan football season, one thing became clear early and remained true: Blake Corum is the cornerstone of the Wolverines’ success. We have all heard the stories of his incredible work ethic by now; the coaches locking him out of the weight room so that he didn’t hurt himself has become an iconic story around Ann Arbor.

But Corum is more than a work-ethic-myth; he is arguably the second most important man in the building, behind only Jim Harbaugh himself.

Blake Corum’s presence is said to drive others — he is so dedicated to improving himself that everyone around him cannot help but follow. In a world of NIL, the NFL Draft, the transfer portal, and more, Corum seemingly helped Michigan retain most of its star players heading into 2023. Blake Corum announced his return to Ann Arbor before Jim Harbaugh announced that he would be Michigan’s head coach this fall.

Corum has been a massive part of the Wolverines’ culture change from 2020 to 2021, a much-needed change that took Michigan football from 2-4 Corum’s freshman year to 12-2 and 13-1 in the two seasons that followed. There is a legitimate case to be made — perhaps one that no one will argue — that without Corum, Michigan does not win back-to-back Big Ten Championships in 2021 and 2022.

Corum is just as influential on the field

While we cannot say enough about Blake Corum’s leadership with Michigan football, there is much to be said about his on-field results. Last season — despite only seeing action in 10.5 of the Wolverines’ 14 games before going down with a knee injury — Blake Corum still managed to stay in Heisman contention as a running back.

Additionally, Corum was named a 1st team All-American, a 1st team All-Big Ten selection, and won the Big Ten’s Silver Football Award, which is given annually to the best player in the conference.

Throughout the Wolverines’ 2022 campaign, Blake Corum carried the ball 247 times for 1,463 yards (5.9 average) and 18 touchdowns. On top of that, Corum caught 11 passes for 80 yards and one touchdown during Michigan’s historic 13-1 Big Ten Championship season.

Blake Corum will be an essential piece of Michigan’s 2023 team

As we turn the page from Michigan’s incredible 2022 season to the 2023 season, Michigan football has high expectations. Despite winning 25 of their last 28 games — including two Big Ten titles and wins over Ohio State — Michigan expects even more out of its 2023 squad.

While Michigan’s 2021 and 2022 seasons were both incredible, the Wolverines fell short in both College Football Playoff games and are yet to win a National Championship (or appear in the title game, for that matter).

With its stars returning (such as rising senior Blake Corum), the Wolverines will pursue a third-straight conference championship with even more ambitious goals this fall.

Blake Corum enters the 2023 Michigan football season with the 11th-best odds to win the Heisman (33/1), and is the highest-ranked non-quarterback in the current Heisman odds.

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