Michigan football: Pair of stars earn preseason honors from Big Ten
Michigan football has a pair of preseason honorees from the Big Ten Conference in senior running back Blake Corum and junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy, it was announced Wednesday morning as Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis began.
Corum and McCarthy made the Big Ten East’s list of honorees along with Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagavailoa, Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu.
The West division honorees were Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton, Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean, Minnesota tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford, Minnesota defensive back Tyler Nubin and Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen.
Corum and McCarthy ranked No. 1 and No. 4 in the Big Ten, respectively, in The Wolverine Magazine’s preseason ranking of the top-25 players in the conference.
Most believe that Corum would have been a Heisman Trophy finalist had he stayed healthy down the stretch in 2022 for the Wolverines. It might have also made U-M national title favorites, which is a distinction they hope to regain heading into the 2023 season. He will look to improve on his career totals of 2,492 yards rushing and 31 touchdowns.
Michigan found a way to retrofit McCarthy’s dual-threat skill set into its smashmouth offense last season, and he played his best football when Corum was out late in the year. The sky is the limit for a player labeled a Heisman candidate and potential first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Here is the full list of honorees from the Big Ten:
EAST
Taulia Tagovailoa, QB, Maryland
Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OL, Penn State
WEST
Jer’Zhan Newton, DL, Illinois
Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa
Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE, Minnesota
Tyler Nubin, DB, Minnesota
Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin
Fashanu and Allen also ranked highly in our list of top-25 players at No. No. 3 and No. 9, respectively.
Some draft analysts believe that Fashanu would have been the first offensive tackle off the board had he entered the 2023 NFL Draft. Instead, he returned to Penn State for another year and is the top lineman in a conference known for its trench play.
The Badgers figure to be a lot more pass-happy under new head coach Luke Fickell moving forward, but Allen should still be the focal point of the offense after rushing for 2,510 yards and 23 touchdowns during his first two seasons in college. He also has 21 career catches and could get a little more work as a receiver.
Newton and DeJean ranked No. 12 and No. 16, respectively, in our preseason ranking of the top-25 players.
