Blake Corum: ‘I’m going to leave my legacy’
Michigan running back Blake Corum would likely be prepping for the NFL Draft if not for an unfortunate knee injury suffered vs. Illinois. He might also have won the Heisman Trophy, having been one of the frontrunners.
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Instead, Corum has been spending the last several weeks in rehab, confirming he had a torn meniscus and slightly sprained MCL that needed repair. He spent nights debating his decision before announcing Monday on the Rich Eisen Show he’d return for his senior year after “a lot of prayer.”
“But I’m a Michigan man through and through. I love playing for the University of Michigan,” Corum continued. “I love going to the Big House and leaving it all on the field. I love the community; I love interacting with everyone.
“So … this was a tough decision — a business decision — [but] I think I have unfinished business. I didn’t like the way I went out in the Big House. I don’t like people remembering me being hurt. So, I will be coming back for it all next year … coming back for it all.”
The emphasis was no accident — Corum wants to win a national championship, and he feels they’ll have the team to do it. He watched them closely after his injury not in regret, but in awe of what they were able to accomplish “working together.”
“I will be back at the University of Michigan ready to excel and just do everything we’ve been doing, but really to just finish it all,” Corum said. ‘We’re so close, and I believe in my teammates. I believe in the new team, team 144. It’s going to be a beautiful thing.
“It’s going to take a bunch of work, a lot of blood sweat and tears, but I’m ready to run it back. I’m ready to continue to be in the community … I’m going to get my degree and leave my legacy.”
He’ll undoubtedly be a Michigan captain, having epitomized everything the program stands for, head coach Jim Harbaugh has said repeatedly. He models his parents in life but former Detroit Lions Hall of Famer Barry Sanders on the field, using his stopping and starting ability, incredible feet, and toughness to become one of the nation’s top backs.
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He’s also developed into a great leader. Corum sought out sophomore J.J. McCarthy after the quarterback’s 2-interception game against TCU and helped ease his pain, noting it was a team loss, not just his.
“He has a fire lit under him right now,” Corum said. “He wants to attack this offseason and be better than ever. Being in the backfield with J.J., I saw him grow literally each week. He kept becoming better and better and better. I can’t wait to watch him, share the backfield with him again, because he’s a tremendous quarterback.”
Eisen gave him the floor for one last comment — what he’d like to say to Michigan fans about the 2023 season.
“It’s going to be full of success for the University of Michigan,” Corum said. “We’re going to grind our butts off, attack this offseason, and we’re going to repeat it. We have unfinished business, like I said, and we’ll finish it off in 2023.
“I’m excited for the Michigan fans listening. I’m going to give you everything I have. I’m going to attack this rehab and come back better than ever. I can’t wait to see you guys in the fall.”
