Michigan RB Blake Corum on convincing offensive linemen to return, backfield tandem with Donovan Edwards, more

Michigan Wolverines football running back Blake Corum made waves Monday, when he announced he will return to Ann Arbor for the 2023 season. The NFL Draft declaration deadline for those with eligibility remaining is a week away, and Corum is attempting to convince some of his offensive linemen with decisions to make to return for another season.

First and foremost, his own decision was about having more to prove and wanting to win a national championship, something Michigan has come close to doing each of the last two seasons but fallen in the semifinal game.

“The NFL is going to be there, but I can only be here once and I can only impact the University of Michigan, the community and my teammates once,” Corum said on the In The Trenches podcast, adding that he won’t play next season thinking about the potential that he gets injured again. “And I’m ready for that last year, my senior year.

“It’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be a fun ride, and I’m excited, man, to get back on that field with the boys and really just go finish it off. We’re so close, and I think Team 144 can finish it off.”

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Now, he wants the likes of senior left guard Trevor Keegan and junior right guard Zak Zinter to come back. NIL played a “little bit” of a factor in Corum’s return, and the same likely goes for the Michigan offensive linemen who are torn about their decisions. Valiant Management and the Champions Circle collective launched a campaign called ‘One More Year,’ asking for donations to help take care of returning players.

“You’ve got to make the best business decision for you,” Corum said. “But it was honestly bigger than that. It’s the bigger picture. I have unfinished business, and I personally couldn’t live with myself with knowing that — especially because I got hurt. If I could’ve played at Ohio State, in the Big Ten championship and then in the TCU game, I might’ve felt better like, OK. But I don’t feel good knowing that I wasn’t able to go to war.

“Yeah, the money, NIL, that’s cool, right, or going to get the NFL money, that’s cool. But money isn’t everything. So basically, NIL is cool. I’m still going to be giving to the community, probably even more than ever. That’s one last ride. But I really just came back for Michigan — the team, the team, the team — and I’m ready to leave that legacy, and I’m trying to tell you, it’s going to be fun.”

Keegan and Zinter are going through similar swings to what Corum did while weighing his options.

“I talked to my teammates a lot, especially my O-linemen. Valiant, they created this NIL program called ‘One More Year.’ If anyone listening would like to donate and help bring my O-line back — we need them big hogs,” Corum continued. “But if you want to, go right ahead.

“I talked to them a lot, and I’m just like, ‘You know, listen, it’s just one more year. Let’s go finish what we started. Let’s stick together, because this team is something special.’ I talked to them, they kinda have the same thoughts as me. They may wake up one day, and the NFL might be the best decision. Wake up another day and, ‘I gotta come back to Michigan. I got more to prove.’ So, you know what, it’s up to them.

“A couple of the O-linemen, I’m not sure what they’re going to do. But best believe, hopefully once they hear this [that Corum is coming back], and we can find out a way to get them a little bit of dough, they’ll come back and be ready to pave the way and keep this thing pushing. I’ve been talking to them a lot.”

Regardless, Michigan is set to be one of the top national title contenders heading into 2023. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy is entering his second full season as a starter in his junior year, and running back Donovan Edwards proved he could be a featured ball-carrier when Corum went down with a knee injury Nov. 19.

Corum said before last season that he and Edwards make up a duo comprised of “a whole lot of lightning.” Corum proceeded to rush for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns — rushing for over 100 yards and scoring a touchdown in every game in which he appeared outside of the tilt at Ohio State, when he saw just five offensive snaps and was shut down with an injury. Edwards accumulated 991 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns, running for 520 yards and 4 scores in the final three games. Corum said the tandem will be even better in 2023.

“Super excited,” the Michigan running back said. “It’s just going to feel like an even better backfield than it was last year. We’re both more mature. Every team knows what we can do. We both have that home-run ability. It’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be dangerous.”

In fact, Corum said his favorite moment of the season was watching the Wolverines win the Big Ten title just after he underwent meniscus and MCL surgery in California. After the win over Purdue, Edwards, the game’s MVP, stumped for Corum and said he deserved the Heisman Trophy.

“My favorite moment was honestly watching from afar,” Corum said. “I was in Cali, just got done with surgery, and watching my guys win the Big Ten championship, back to back Big Tens. You can’t beat that. It was a joy to my heart, watching them really just go out there and dominate.

“That was one of my best experiences of the 2022 season for me, after a great season, just seeing them out there killing it, didn’t miss a beat. I loved it.”