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Michigan Wolverines running back Blake Corum was a unanimous All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten selection while finishing seventh in Heisman Trophy last season.
Corum's 2022 season was strong enough for him to consider entering the NFL draft despite suffering a season-ending knee injury. He finished with 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. In a conference as tough as the Big Ten, his 31 career rushing touchdowns are turning heads in the NFL.
Corum's 2022 stats:
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Yet, he's coming back to lead the Wolverines' backfield in 2023. He has a few valid reasons for his return too. One of these reasons is substantial money stemming from NIL deals.
Blake Corum's seven-figure NIL deal
According to Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic in January, Blake Corum may have "a possible seven-figure paycheck through an NIL deal, with off-field incentives that could increase that number by season's end." Making over a million dollars in college is comparable to what he'd make as a rookie, depending on where he was drafted.
Corum is a running back, not a position that's typically drafted high in today's version of the NFL. With his recovery from knee surgery, he would've missed the NFL combine, likely ending any chance he had of being selected in the first two rounds.
So, Corum decided in January to take the money and run it back with coach Jim Harbaugh in Michigan. Harbaugh told Corum that he should declare for the NFL draft after his December surgery, but Corum had other ideas.
"Unfinished business" in Ann Arbor
While the chance to make a million dollars in college didn't hurt, there were other reasons why he decided to return to Michigan. His greatest motivator was his legacy. Corum said, "We were so close back-to-back seasons to going to the national championship game" in the first episode of the "Blake Corum’s Road to Recovery" series.
He's also said that earning his degree and how people remember his time at Michigan are important factors to him. I
"If I leave, you know, did I leave the Big House like that?" Corum said in the episode. "What are people going to know me for before getting injured? Are they going to know me for being in the Heisman race? I don’t know."
Lastly, his draft stock has the chance to rise from another great season. That would provide more money out of the gate, something that's crucial for a position like running back that has a shorter shelf life. He also wants to participate in the NFL combine.
"If I leave, I’m going to miss the combine, something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid," Corum said because he would've been injured for the 2023 version.
Blake Corum had a great 2022 season, one that surely would've landed him with an NFL team. However, there's more he wants to accomplish as a Michigan Wolverine. He also happens to be getting similar compensation as he would on a rookie deal.
