Michigan's Blake Corum has been one of the best running backs in the college football for the past three years.
As a sophomore, Corum carried the ball 144 times for 952 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. He followed that up by rushing 247 times for 1,463 yards and scoring 18 rushing touchdowns. And before the 2023 Big Ten Championship, Corum has rushed for 976 yards on 202 carries, 22 of which went for touchdowns.
Corum is headed to what is likely his final stretch of games as a collegian. He will be helping Michigan in the Big Ten championship, and likely has at least one College Football Playoff game — if not two.
The Big Ten championship, however, will be the last time he's on a game called by Fox with all bowl games carried by the ESPN family of networks. And his last game on Fox means it will be the last time sports fans hear him called "Blake the Great."
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How did he get this nickname? Here's what you need to know.
Blake Corum nickname, explained
"Blake the Great" is a Johnson nickname special. Johnson has a habit of developing plenty of random nicknames and using them any time he calls that player's game.
And as with a lot of his nicknames, it's hard to pin down exactly when Johnson began using the nickname for Corum. But he sure has used it a lot.
Gus Johnson’s good at what he does.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 30, 2022
Same goes for Blake Corum.
We compiled some of the announcer’s best Corum calls ⤵️. pic.twitter.com/Al5alCAjHL
As can be heard in Johnson's calls, he's had some other monikers used for Corum in the moment. Things like "Little Big Man" and referring to him as a "bowling ball."
Johnson has come up with other nicknames, including for a teammate of Corum's and another for a rival. Michigan running back Donovan Edwards has earned the nickname, "The Don."
The Don put 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 on ice in 2022.#OTD last year, Donovan Edwards' pair of long 4Q TD runs sealed No. 3 @UMichFootball's first win in Columbus since 2000. pic.twitter.com/LS9WYC21gf
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 26, 2023
One of the better known nicknames is the one for Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who Johnson calls "Maserati Marv."
MASERATI MARV WITH THE TD@OhioStateFB marches it down the field and makes it a 3-point game 💪🌰 pic.twitter.com/flckzwtsnB
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 25, 2023
