On3 Roundtable: Blake Corum has unfinished business at Michigan

Michigan RB Blake Corum could’ve very easily ended his college career and headed off to the NFL this offseason. He could have focused on his rehab coming off his injury and just returned as a professional rather than back in Ann Arbor in 2023.

However, The Wolverine’s Chris Balas says Corum is cut from a different cloth. In an edition of the ‘On3 Roundtable’ with Andy Staples, he spoke about all the ways in which it’s obvious that Corum didn’t care for hand that his injury dealt him and why he’s now wanting another go at it.

“(He’s) a special kid,” Balas said. “It reminds me of Tyrone Wheatley in the early 90s, mid-90s. Everybody was like why is this kid coming back? And then, of course, he got hurt. Knock on wood. You don’t want that for Blake Corum. But he didn’t want to leave on that note (and) saying I wanted to go out on my terms.”

Balas continued by talking about an opportunity where he spoke with Corum about how his season ended on the sideline. He was happy to see the Wolverines succeed over the stretch of their last three matchups. In the end, though, he couldn’t help but feel like he could have made his own difference, especially in their loss to TCU in the College Football Playoff.

“Having that knee injury that he had suffered against Illinois, didn’t get to play against Ohio State. One of the things he told me in one of our exclusive interviews this spring was how happy he was for Donovan Edwards,” noted Balas. “Even though he couldn’t be out there, to see Donovan Edwards go off against Ohio State, he thought, was fantastic.”

“But he said if I’d been out there for TCU, I thought we could have won that game. I got unfinished business here, I love this place,” said Balas. “(He) wants to leave with a national championship.”

Corum has rushed 417 times in college for nearly 2,500 yards and 31 touchdowns. Much of that production came last fall. He posted career bests across the board with 1,463 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 247 attempts as Michigan’s leading rusher and one of the best in the country.

Still, a knee injury cut his campaign short. First, it limited him versus Ohio State. Then, it held him out for the Big Ten Championship against Purdue and their CFP loss to the Horned Frogs.

Now, as he heads into his senior season, Corum has every intention of rewriting the ending that some had already closed the book on last year. Balas is excited to see it for himself too considering what kind of player he is and what he means inside of The Big House

“This is a special kid, not just what he does on the field but off the field too,” Balas said. “(He’s) really one of the most generational type players.”