HOUSTON – Mike Hart insists that Blake Corum didn't have to come back to school.
Hart – Michigan's running backs coach who also rushed for a school-record 5,040 yards from 2004-07 – remembers those back-and-forth discussions with Corum before the draft deadline last year. Hart left the decision with the 5-foot-8, 213-pound running back, who in turn left it at this.
"For me, I wanted to leave a legacy, be remembered forever, and not just for scoring some touchdowns," Corum said. "I wanted to leave a bigger legacy on and off the field. That's one of the main reasons for coming back. One of the other main reasons was being here today."
Here, of course, is the College Football Playoff championship game. No. 1 Michigan (14-0) takes on No. 2 Washington (14-0) on Monday at NRG Stadium in Houston. Corum – who enters his final game with 3,603 yards and a school-record 56 TDs, has a chance to lead the Wolverines to their first national championship since 1997. Hart repeats himself – "He didn't have to come back" – but the admiration for Corum's decision stands.
"The way he recovered from that injury, the things he does outside that community," Hart said. "He's one of the best to ever do it at any position at Michigan. I'm just really, really happy for him."
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Why Blake Corum stayed for his senior season
Corum divulged his thought process in returning to school for his senior season on July 27 at Big Ten Media Days. Corum – wearing a blue velvet suit – assured reporters his left knee was fine. He rehashed his thought process from the 51-45 loss to TCU in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Jan. 1, 2023.
"In my head I was thinking, 'What can I do?'" Corum said at Lucas Oil Stadium. "If I was out there, 'What would I do? Can I make someone miss? Could I score a touchdown?' All of these emotions were running through my body. It was frustrating. It was tough. It was definitely tough."
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh celebrated that decision, and with good reason. Corum has been the offensive centerpiece of the Michigan revival the last three seasons. He was the tandem back for Hassan Haskins in 2021, and he’s shared time with Donovan Edwards and Kaleel Mullings through the last two seasons.
"He is always willing to do anything and everything for the team," Harbaugh said. "Never been around a guy who is more about the team than Blake Corum."
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Blake Corum's most-memorable Michigan touchdowns
On Nov. 11 – one day after the Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for three games as part of the in-person scouting and sign-stealing scandal that hung over the program in November – Corum's 30-yard touchdown sealed a 24-15 victory at Penn State.
On Nov. 25, one play after All-American guard Zak Zinter suffered a season-ending leg injury, Corum broke through the Ohio State defense for a tie-breaking 22-yard touchdown that pushed the Wolverines to a 30-24 victory.
Yet it's the 17-yard touchdown run against Alabama on Jan. 1 – the one where he spun through Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry – that left Hart – and several others – in awe.
"I think that one he just did was amazing in overtime," Hart said. "He just refused to be denied."
Michigan Wins!!!
— STN (@ScytaleNews) January 2, 2024
Michigan is playing for a national title.
RB Blake Corum’s 17-yard run in overtime gave the Wolverines a 27-20 win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl.#RoseBowl2024 #GoBlue #CFBPlayoff #RollTide https://t.co/9cBD7pbHIN
"ESPN College GameDay" host Rece Davis will add to that.
"The determination of that run was remarkable," Davis said. "It might be the best run I've ever seen him make. He saved it for the end of the game and the biggest moment of his career."
Michigan guard Trevor Keegan said that run was a product of a conversation with Corum, who is in constant communication with the offensive line.
"He'll come talk to us about what we're doing every play and knowing how we're going to block it. I'll tell him, 'Hey, if I'm blocking this way it can hit right here,'" Keegan said. "It did. That (run) I said, 'If they do this, it might bounce outside, and he did it.'"
Watch that run again. It’s exactly what happens. On the field, Corum scored at least one touchdown in all 14 of the Wolverines' games. What does that mean for the NFL? Davis is not worried about it.
"Blake may not have the elite top-end speed that would make him a high draft pick, but the fact sort of embodies Michigan and sort of fits well with what you would think a Jim Harbaugh running back was going to be," Davis said. "He embraces the entire team aspect of it."
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Will Blake Corum win a national championship?
The intangibles' factor also stands out. Corum participates in a turkey drive each November in Ypsilanti, Mich., and Keegan said the leadership-by-example never stops.
Corum, meanwhile, is quick to spread that credit around.
"Yeah I scored a touchdown, but it's a team effort," Corum said. "My guys up front, the receivers, tight ends, they all help me get into the end zone. It's not a one-man show."
Corum already has one show against the Huskies. On Sept. 11, 2021, Corum had 171 yards and three TDs in the Wolverines’ 31-10 victory against the Huskies. That was the breakout performance that launched a prolific career.
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Now, he is the poster running back for "those who stay," which is the first half of that Michigan mantra coined by Bo Schembechler. Will Corum be a champion? Either way, it is clear he made the right decision.
"It just depends on what you want at the end of the day," Corum said. "Some people are different, but I think definitely people can use me as a reason why to come back to any school."
