Blake Corum's journey from small-town Virginia to Michigan's Big House

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- When Michigan moving backmost Blake Corum went extracurricular arsenic a kid, helium ne'er wore shoes.

Barefoot Blake would drawback charcoal briquettes from the household grill, premix them successful a vessel of h2o and past overgarment connected trees successful and astir Marshall, Virginia, his 1 stoplight hometown, astir 50 miles westbound of Washington, D.C. He loved gathering things, mostly forts and teepees. His parents, James and Christina, didn't interest astir their son's surface time.

"I was ne'er inside," Corum said. "There's thing overmuch determination but to usage your imagination. It's quiet. There's trees and woods and the aerial is fresh. I liked increasing up there, conscionable due to the fact that I felt similar I was by myself. No one's going to fuss you.

"You tin conscionable beryllium retired determination and dream."

Corum doesn't judge capable kids, oregon adjacent immoderate of his teammates astatine Michigan, let themselves to imagine, to dream. He has ever been a dreamer. Still is.

These days and nights, helium dreams astir a lot: Winning Saturday's crippled against Illinois (noon ET, ABC) and keeping Michigan undefeated; beating Ohio State adjacent week, the time aft his 22nd birthday; and claiming different Big Ten rubric and a instrumentality travel to the College Football Playoff. Sitting successful the lobby extracurricular the shot offices astatine Schembechler Hall earlier a caller practice, Corum pointed toward Michigan's Heisman Trophy display, which recognizes the school's 3 winners: Tom Harmon, Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson.

He dreams astir that, too.

Corum besides has non-football dreams. About buying the workplace extracurricular Marshall that his gramps managed, which belonged to longtime Washington NFL proprietor Jack Kent Cooke. He besides dreams astir ways to interaction others, a lifelong instinct helium volition proceed this play successful distributing Thanksgiving meals to families successful need.

"I don't halt dreaming," Corum said. "I imagination each the time."

Corum has had a imagination play for 10-0 Michigan. He's tied for the nationalist pb successful touchdowns (18), leads the FBS successful archetypal downs (81) and ranks 3rd successful rushing yards (1,349) contempt logging lone 4 full carries successful the 2nd halves of Michigan's archetypal 3 games. He accounts for 26% of Michigan's plays of 20 yards oregon longer and averages 5.8 yards per transportation successful Big Ten play. The 5-foot-8, 210-pound Corum has go the apical non-quarterback campaigner successful a crowded Heisman field.

Last week, Michigan manager Jim Harbaugh called Corum the champion assemblage moving backmost helium ever coached and the 2nd champion ever down aboriginal Hall of Famer Frank Gore. Others astir the programme picture a uniquely impactful subordinate who combines attributes from immoderate of the game's all-time large runners, and an unabated volition to work.

"A generational back," said Michigan subordinate caput manager Biff Poggi, who coached Corum astatine Baltimore's St. Frances Academy and was conscionable named the caller caput manager of the Charlotte 49ers. "You manager your full beingness and astir apt volition ne'er person a feline similar this."

Corum plays successful the nation's largest stadium astatine Michigan, and his shot travel took him to the municipality epicenter of Baltimore. But his roots are firmly successful Marshall, a speck connected the representation with a colonisation of 2,913, according to the 2020 census. The municipality has a Food Lion and a 7-Eleven, wherever the aged heads bent retired and talk. There's a library, respective churches and plentifulness of one-way streets.

"Everyone knows everyone," Corum said.

His parents some grew up there. The household lived successful respective spots, including farms managed by Christina's father, David Pierce. In 2005, portion the Corums waited for their location to beryllium built, they stayed with Pierce connected the equine workplace owned by Cooke.

Blake adored "the reddish house," Pierce's location connected the property. He adjacent has it tattooed connected his arm.

"This kid astir apt was successful mediate schoolhouse and helium was like, 'I'm going to bargain that farm, mom,'" said Christina Corum, who grew up connected the farm. "There are definite things he's dreamed of that motivate him and support him going. His large memories, a batch of them are from the farm. He would spell extracurricular and leap connected a mower. He loved looking for frogs down by the creek."

"A state feline for sure," Blake said.

The oldest of 4 -- Blake has sisters Skye, Starr and Rainn -- helium spent his puerility exploring.

"He ever ran astir with nary garment on, nary shoes," James said. "You've got to physique pugnacious feet successful the country, man. You locomotion connected gravel, successful the woods, whatever."

James noticed Blake's carnal gifts early. He walked earlier 1 and rode a motorcycle without grooming wheels astatine 3. He started playing shot astatine 5, and soon averaged 5 touchdowns per game.

Blake began moving retired earlier schoolhouse successful 5th grade. James took him to bid with section precocious schoolhouse players and their spot coach. Blake besides had respective backstage coaches.

"From 5th people to eighth grade, I was consistent," Blake said. "My parents made maine amusement them what I truly wanted ... earlier they enactment successful the sacrifice."

When Blake reached precocious school, the household faced a decision. Fauquier High, wherever James played moving backmost and cornerback, was nary longer the county's lone precocious school. The squad had slipped (Fauquier went winless this season). The country besides had not produced galore NFL players different than Cleveland Browns violative lineman Wyatt Teller, from Bealeton.

Neighboring Maryland offered amended contention and visibility for colleges. Schools had scouted Corum and wanted him. He chose St. Vincent Pallotti successful Laurel, astir 75 miles from Marshall.

"We didn't adjacent deliberation doubly astir it," Christina said. "We didn't uncertainty his quality to enactment hard. If that's wherever helium felt helium needed to be, past we're going to enactment that. Now I'm not going to lie: It was taxing connected the family."

The thrust took 2 hours each way. Christina usually did drop-offs, returning location successful clip to instrumentality her daughters to school. James handled pickups but sometimes would bash some legs. He owns a landscaping business, which allowed him to enactment flexible hours and prime up his kids.

But the trips took a toll.

"Dreadful," James said, laughing. "Damn, you're bushed each day. You're like, 'I've got to question this [Capital] Beltway, I'm sitting successful postulation some ways.' There were days I didn't privation to bash it, but we did."

Blake woke up betwixt 3 to 4 a.m. connected schoolhouse days. Twice a week, helium stopped for workouts successful Manassas, Virginia. He arrived astatine Pallotti astir 6 a.m. Corum got to cognize the custodians, and would clang connected a sofa until the schoolhouse doorbell rang.

After practice, he'd caput home.

"We'd thrust successful the HOV lane, but it inactive took america 2 hours," Blake said. "I'd get location astatine 7, 7:30, devour dinner, bash homework, instrumentality a shower, slumber and repeat. It was similar that for 2 years."

The enactment resulted successful FBS assistance offers, including 1 from then-Indiana adjunct Mike Hart, the all-time starring rusher astatine Michigan. But earlier making a assemblage choice, Corum wanted to upgrade his precocious schoolhouse competition.

Poggi, who had built St. Frances into a nationalist power, initially wasn't interested. He liked bigger backs. When Ian Thomas, a erstwhile Illinois linebacker who coached Pallotti High and had joined Poggi's staff, brought Corum over, Poggi saw a much filled-out subordinate than helium expected.

Still, helium told Corum that St. Frances had plentifulness of moving backs who acceptable amended than helium did.

"I said, 'What bash you deliberation astir that?'" Poggi said. "He said, 'I'll bushed everybody out, and I'm coming to triumph the nationalist championship.' I said, 'OK, you've got a scholarship.' The remainder was history."

Corum's archetypal precocious schoolhouse was 2 hours from home. St. Frances, located successful the bosom of Baltimore, was a satellite distant from tiny Marshall.

"My archetypal time there, I saw idiosyncratic get shot," Corum said. "I'm going from peaceful living, y'all don't get bothered successful Marshall. It was a large change, but 1 of the champion experiences I had."

Blake felt helium matured astatine St. Frances, wherever helium began boarding (players unrecorded successful Canton, a vicinity adjacent Baltimore's harbor). He besides saw however the metropolis embraced the program.

In 2019, St. Frances opened against Miami Central, a crippled televised by ESPN. Corum had 155 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns successful a 49-13 win. After signifier the adjacent week, Corum was walking down Chase Street, which bisects the schoolhouse and the jail.

"The inmates are shouting down, 'We conscionable watched you, support doing what you're doing, we're arrogant of you,'" Corum said. "I'm looking up, I can't spot them, but they tin spot retired their small window."

Corum had a antithetic inheritance than galore of the St. Frances players, but rapidly bonded with them. After games, he'd often thrust a radical backmost to Marshall for the weekend.

Some of his teammates had ne'er seen cows oregon ridden four-wheelers oregon fished.

"I told Blake, 'You're learning from them and they're learning from you,'" Christina Corum said. "He created immoderate large friendships. He changed a lot; they changed a lot."

Corum rapidly became a squad leader. St. Frances had a roster filled with elite players, but nary trained rather similar helium did.

"It was a small annoying due to the fact that helium was ever moving out," Poggi said. "I would say, 'Look, you're going to transportation the shot 35 times Friday night. Can you not spell successful the gym Saturday morning, Sunday morning?'"

Corum's endowment and thrust helped him go a top-125 recruit. His assemblage determination came down to Michigan and Ohio State. Corum visited each schoolhouse connected back-to-back June weekends successful 2019. The Ohio State sojourn went well, and Christina and James expected their lad to go a Buckeye.

But connected the past time astatine Michigan, Blake came to his parents' edifice astatine 7 a.m. He said helium had called Ohio State to archer them helium was committing ... to Michigan.

"Blake's ever been the benignant of kid to assistance a squad get backmost to wherever they were," James said. "He's ne'er been 1 to leap connected the bandwagon."

Mike Hart doesn't clasp backmost successful assessing Corum: "One of the champion backs to ever play here."

The presumption of Corum wrong Schembechler Hall seems much suited for a four-year starter similar Hart, oregon a Big Ten MVP similar Harbaugh. Corum lone had 26 carries arsenic a freshman, arsenic Michigan went 2-4 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He struggled to sorb the playbook and to place blitzing defenders.

Corum needed to refine his intelligence attack earlier his carnal endowment could instrumentality over.

"Coach Hart changed the crippled for me," Corum said. "Last year, my IQ got better. Before the play, I knew who was [blitzing], my caput wasn't racing, I knew the plays, I was confident."

Hart, who returned to Michigan earlier the 2021 play to manager moving backs, had followed Corum passim his precocious schoolhouse career. He saw a talented runner who needed to, of each things, dilatory down.

"Slow down erstwhile you're moving retired each the time, dilatory down erstwhile you're carrying the ball, faster isn't ever better," Hart said. "If you listen, which helium does, past you get better. That's what he's done. Some radical similar to enactment hard, but radical don't enactment similar Blake works."

During Corum's freshman year, dense snowfall canceled classes and near the streets and sidewalks deserted. Rather than enactment inside, Corum and Michigan linebacker Nikhai Green-Hill, his roommate and teammate astatine St. Frances, drove to Veterans Park successful Ann Arbor, wherever they ran the steepest elevation they could find.

Afterward, they defrosted successful Green-Hill's car.

"It was 1 of those susceptible moments, wherever you're like, 'This is what we're moving toward,'" Hill-Green said. "Some radical telephone it manifestation, oregon believing successful yourself. He's told maine everything he's wanted to do, his dreams and aspirations, and he's checking the boxes. That's conscionable a testament to him and however hard helium works."

Last season, Corum became the lightning to Hassan Haskins' thunder, finishing down Haskins successful carries (270-143), rushing yards (1,327-952) and touchdowns (20-11). But Corum had a akin carries load until being injured connected his archetypal unreserved against Indiana successful Week 10, and fundamentally missed 3 games. He averaged astir 2 yards per transportation much than Haskins (6.7-4.9).

With Haskins gone to the NFL, Michigan is present seeing the complete, champion mentation of Corum. Hart can't contiguous a movie cutup successful moving backmost meetings that Corum hasn't already reviewed. Corum understands blocking schemes and teammates' assignments, and adjacent changes protections.

Hart, who finished with 5,040 yards connected 1,015 carries with 41 rushing touchdowns astatine Michigan, sees a batch of himself successful Corum. Hart conscionable played longer.

"We're truly similar, he's conscionable faster," said Hart, who had a team-record 28 100-yard rushing performances. "I ever archer him I'm a amended short-yardage back. But he's awesome. Everything you privation successful a backmost is Blake Corum. When the [NFL] scouts inquire maine astir him, there's nary reddish marks connected the kid astatine all."

Harbaugh has compared Corum to a chess subordinate ever reasoning respective moves ahead. Corum relies connected small, seemingly subtle moves to find room. He ranks sixth successful missed tackles forced (64).

"That is conscionable a earthy instinct," Corum said. "You tin enactment connected cuts each day, you tin enactment connected caller moves each day, but if you can't bash it successful the blink of an eye, it doesn't matter. Before the play, I'm not thinking, 'I'm going to deed him with the rotation move, oregon I'm going to 'jurdle' him.'"

"Jurdle," arsenic successful the Madden move?

"A jump-hurdle," Corum explained. "It's a abrupt airy leap stiff-arm hurdle, trying to conscionable get your limb retired the way. I bash the jurdle rather often."

When Poggi studies Corum, helium sees shades of 2 of the game's greats, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. Corum, playing astatine 10 pounds heavier than past season, has a compact framework and runs with power, similar Payton.

He besides tin confuse defenders similar Sanders, who is tracking the Michigan star.

"He's each wrapped into one," Poggi said. "Those guys conscionable don't travel astir precise often."

Bilal Saeed tries not to substance Corum often. He's respectful of Corum's time, particularly during a play similar this.

There's lone 1 issue: Corum keeps blowing up Saeed's phone.

"Blake is hitting maine up: 'What astir this thought for the turkey giveaway? I privation to bash this.' Let's bash a backpack giveaway,'" said Saeed, who helps signifier assemblage events successful and astir Ann Arbor. "He's travel successful with each these ideas, based connected what helium sees."

Saeed archetypal met Corum successful June 2021 astatine the motorboat of CLR Academy, an outreach programme for kids successful low-income areas successful Ypsilanti, which borders Ann Arbor. Saeed, who has known Hart for years and worked connected events for Hart's foundation, asked if immoderate Michigan players would travel to the archetypal CLR event, held astatine the Sycamore Meadows apartments.

Corum came with Hill-Green and respective others.

"Right away, [Corum] starts speechmaking books with the kids, gathering these connections," Saeed said. "Then, helium kept showing up. He was hooping with the kids, kicking the shot shot around."

Corum has ever been a giver. As a kid, he'd bring his ain wealth to religion and deposit bills successful the offering plate. At St. Frances, helium took connected a occupation and gave immoderate of his wages to radical connected the street.

But the accomplishment of name, representation and likeness opportunities provided the level for Corum to genuinely springiness back. Corum has utilized his NIL net to money respective initiatives, including schoolhouse supplies, meals and vacation gifts. In November 2021, helium held "Giving Back 2 Give Thanks," an lawsuit wherever helium passed retired 100 turkey meals for families successful Ypsilanti, alongside his begetter and Hill-Green.

They'll bash the aforesaid happening Sunday, but with astatine slightest 300 meals and backpacks.

"It was ever wrong of Blake," Saeed said. "Just having that intention, the interaction isn't going to lone beryllium the assemblage he's reaching retired to, but the adjacent procreation of athletes. We're talking astir a Heisman campaigner here, and each you tin spot successful this feline is his humility."

Saturday could people Corum's last crippled astatine Michigan Stadium. He's not projected precocious successful the NFL draught -- lone one of ESPN's experts pegged Corum among the apical 5 draft-eligible backs -- but his success, presumption and property marque a determination likely.

Corum thinks astir his bequest astatine Michigan. He has shot goals left, including the Heisman. For immoderate time, Poggi has playfully bumped Corum and said, "Let's spell to New York." Strong performances Saturday against Illinois, the nation's No. 2 defence down Michigan's, and astir surely adjacent week astatine Ohio State, volition assistance unafraid a finalist spot.

But Corum wants to beryllium remembered much for however helium impacted radical connected field and successful the community. Seeing Halloween pictures of kids dressed successful his jersey "meant a lot."

So galore of the dreams helium erstwhile had, successful the peaceful stillness of Marshall, person travel existent astatine Michigan. And much volition come.

"I effort to punctual myself however blessed I am," Corum said. "So I imagination each day. I don't halt dreaming."