Michigan's Blake Corum continuing Thanksgiving tradition, using NIL dollars to buy 600 turkeys

Blake Corum continues to make the most of his NIL platform.

The Michigan running back has been one of the most successful names in college football when it comes to endorsement deals. He’s taken full advantage of the NCAA allowing athletes to monetize their publicity rights. The senior has even started a business venture flipping houses.

Through it all, however, Corum is making sure to use his hard-earned dollars to give back to the greater Ann Arbor community. For the third consecutive year, the nation’s leader in rushing touchdowns spent his Sunday morning before Thanksgiving handing out 600 turkeys.

The running back handed out 200 turkeys and 200 gallons of milk at three locations throughout Ypsilanti: Sycamore Meadows, Huron Heights and Perry Elementary School.

Since starting the tradition, the event has grown, now featuring a swath of sponsors. Corum is coming off a tight 31-24 win on Saturday at Maryland. He carried the ball 28 times, rushing for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

In the NIL Era, names like Caleb Williams and J.J. McCarthy have launched foundations to give back. Others have donated their earnings to a good cause. But Corum has embraced the opportunity to use his platform to give back to his college community.

Michigan RB Blake Corum using his NIL money to buy 600 turkeys he’s delivering in Ypsilanti today. Third year he has done this for Thanksgiving. pic.twitter.com/IAhI3MjpM6

— angelique (@chengelis) November 19, 2023

The focus now switches to The Game. Michigan and Ohio State are both undefeated, with the Wolverines at No. 3 in Sunday’s AP poll and the Buckeyes slated at No. 2. On top of bragging rights, a spot in the Big Ten title game and College Football Playoff berth is on the line. Michigan has won the last two games in the series and leads the rivalry 60–51–6.

Michigan opens as a 3.5-point underdog, according to Fanduel Sportsbook.

Blake Corum excelling in NIL

When Corum made the decision to return to Michigan, he cited unfinished business he wanted to attend to. Now he’s in the final stretch of the regular season with a major showdown with Ohio State in the Big House on Saturday. Corum wouldn’t have come for another year unless NIL existed, which has swayed multiple possible draft prospects in the last couple of years.

Corum has emerged as one of the Big Ten’s NIL success stories, inking deals with Outback Steakhouse, The 33rd Team and Subway in the last two years. The former four-star recruit’s biggest success has come through flipping houses, a business venture he recently said he is hoping to turn into “an empire.” The Athletic reported earlier this year Corum could make over $1 million during his final year in Ann Arbor of NIL.

Records surfaced earlier this month of an LLC in Wyoming listing both Corum and former Michigan staff member Connor Stalions. Corum said he was unaware of the LLC until only before practice; he contacted his attorney to intervene.

In recent weeks, Blake Corum has added NIL agreements with Wolverine Boots, The Detroit Garage and 7-Eleven. He’s also made plans for his annual turkey giveaway ahead of Thanksgiving thanks to dollars raised through NIL.

The Michigan tailback has rushed for 888 yards on 180 carries this season, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. His 20 rushing touchdowns lead the nation. A year after he carried the ball just twice against the Buckeyes due to injury, he’ll have another shot to take down Ohio State.

Rising On3 NIL Valuation

Blake Corum holds a $854,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks No. 25 in college football. With nearly 195,000 social media followers, he’s one of the most followed athletes at Michigan. His valuation sits at No. 34 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.