Blake Corum draws high praise from Michigan all-time leading rusher

After a disappointing 2-4 year, Michigan football is looking for a big rebound this season. The Wolverines did not win a game where they scored less than 48 points last season, meaning that having an explosive offense will be an important part of their success. Second-year running back Blake Corum could play a bigger role on the offense this season. Michigan running backs coach Mike Hart said that Corum is a great player and reminds him of himself in some ways.

Hart, Michigan’s all-time leading rusher, is entering his first year on staff

Mike Hart started four seasons at Michigan from 2004-2007. He became Michigan’s all-time leading rusher with 5,040 yards and 41 touchdowns. Hart had 28 100-yard rushing games and averaged 117.2 yards per game in his career, both of which are the best totals in school history. He finished fifth in 2006 Heisman voting. Hart was also a first team All-Big Ten selection three times.

Following his dominant collegiate career, Hart was drafted in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. After three seasons in the NFL, Hart joined Eastern Michigan’s coaching staff in 2011. He has since been a running backs coach at five schools including Michigan.

Hart believes that he was a similar player to Corum in some ways. Corum’s work ethic is something that is very impressive to Hart.

“He works a lot harder,” Hart joked when asked about whether or not Corum reminds him of himself. “But seriously, I mean size-wise yes. Blake’s a lot faster than me, a lot quicker than me. If I was that fast I probably could still be playing in the NFL. But no, he’s a great kid. I think just his mentality and the way he does things, the way he approaches the game, I think it’s really similar to the way I did. He doesn’t like making mistakes, he’s not having any of these mistakes. He wants to be perfect. That’s something that reminds me of myself.”

Corum is in line for a bigger role in Michigan’s backfield

Coming out of high school, Corum was a four-star prospect. He accounted for 3,113 total yards and 42 touchdowns over his junior and senior seasons. Last season as a freshman at Michigan, Corum had 26 carries for 77 yards and two touchdowns. He also added five receptions for 73 yards with five kick returns for 96 yards.

Corum is likely to share the work in Michigan’s backfield, mainly with senior Hassan Haskins. Regardless, Corum will have a role in the offense and he is a breakout candidate this season. Hart loves the way that Corum carries himself on the field.

“Blake, he’s an undersized guy,” Hart said. “He’s explosive, but he’s just a confident kid that wants to be great. He’s one of those guys that you want him to slow down because he’s always going, going, going. He works his tail off, he’s one of the hardest working running backs.”