Blake Corum Bio
Blake Nolan Corum is an American professional football running back and kickoff returner for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He was a two-time All-American playing college football for the Michigan Wolverines, including unanimous All-American honors and the Big Ten Most Valuable Player in 2022. In 2023, Corum became the all-time leader for the University of Michigan in rushing touchdowns with 58, set the single-season record with 27 rushing touchdowns, won three consecutive Big Ten Conference titles, was a national champion and earned its offensive MVP award. He was selected by the Rams in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Early Life and Background
Blake Nolan Corum was born on November 25, 2000, in Marshall, Virginia. He grew up and attended high school at Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, a program known for producing top-tier college talent. As a senior at Saint Frances Academy, Corum was selected as the 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year in Maryland and The Baltimore Sun’s Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,438 yards and 22 touchdowns. That season, he led his team to a number four national ranking.
Coming out of high school, Corum was rated as a four-star recruit and the number 12 high school running back in the country. His combination of vision, balance, and finishing ability near the goal line earned him a scholarship offer from the University of Michigan. He enrolled at Michigan in January 2020, where his work ethic stood out early. In his first semester on campus, Corum ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds while also earning a 4.0 grade point average, drawing praise from the Michigan coaching staff.
Path to American Football
Corum made his college debut in Michigan’s season opener against Minnesota on October 24, 2020, earning his first career start that day. A week later, he scored his first two collegiate touchdowns against rival Michigan State. As a true freshman, he appeared in all six games of the shortened 2020 season, rushing for 77 yards on 3.0 yards per carry and adding five receptions for 73 yards. Those early snaps set the foundation for a larger role the following year.
In 2021, Corum emerged as a featured back for the Wolverines. Through the first two games of that season, he rushed for 282 yards on 35 carries, averaging 141 rushing yards per game. He tallied a career-high 171 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a 67-yard touchdown run, against Washington, and also added 128 yards on kickoff returns to lead the nation in all-purpose yards at 221.5 yards per game. On September 18, 2021, Corum became the first Michigan player to rush for more than 100 yards in three consecutive games since Denard Robinson in 2011 and the first to open a season that way since Mike Hart in 2007. That breakout year earned him Third-team All-Big Ten honors.
Blake Corum Career
Early Career (2020-2021)
Blake Nolan Corum began his Michigan career as a rotational back in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. His freshman film showed a compact, powerful runner capable of finishing short-yardage plays, and the staff quickly trusted him in goal-line packages. That trust grew through the 2021 campaign, when he became a focal point of the offense and one of the most productive all-purpose players in the country.
His 2021 production on the ground and through kickoff returns made him one of the most dynamic young backs in college football. The strong finish to his sophomore season earned him recognition as a Third-team All-Big Ten selection and put him on track for an even larger role in 2022.
Michigan Wolverines Breakthrough (2022)
On September 17, 2022, Corum tied Michigan’s modern-era record with five rushing touchdowns in a win over UConn, becoming the first Wolverine to score four first-half touchdowns since Ed Shuttlesworth in 1972. The next week, he set a then-career high with 243 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries in a 34-27 win over Maryland, the most rushing yards by a Michigan player since Denard Robinson in 2010. Corum followed that with 133 yards against Iowa, 124 against Indiana, 166 against Penn State, and 177 against rival Michigan State, earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors twice during that run.
The 2022 season, however, ended on a difficult note. On November 19, Corum suffered a torn meniscus and sprained MCL in the first half against Illinois. He tried to play through the injury the following week against Ohio State but recorded only two carries before being shut down for the rest of the game. He had been a top contender for the Heisman Trophy and held the third-best odds to win it at the time of his injury. On December 1, 2022, he underwent knee surgery, ending his season before the Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoff. Despite the early ending, Corum finished the year with 1,463 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, was named a unanimous All-American, won the Big Ten Most Valuable Player award, and finished seventh in Heisman voting.
National Championship Season (2023)
On January 9, 2023, Corum announced he would return to Michigan for his senior year. On October 14, 2023, he became the tenth player in Michigan history to reach 3,000 career rushing yards and passed Mike Hart and Denard Robinson for the third-most career rushing touchdowns in program history with 43. By November 4, he tied Tyrone Wheatley for second on Michigan’s career rushing touchdowns list with 47, and on November 18, he tied Hassan Haskins’s single-season rushing touchdown record with 20.
In the rivalry win over Ohio State on November 25, Corum rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns, setting a new single-season rushing touchdown record with 22 and becoming the only FBS player to score in every game that season. In the Big Ten Championship, he passed 1,000 rushing yards on the season and tied Anthony Thomas for Michigan’s career rushing touchdown record. During the 2024 Rose Bowl against Alabama, Corum scored the game-winning overtime touchdown to break Anthony Thomas’s record and become Michigan’s all-time career rushing touchdown leader with 56.
On January 8, 2024, Corum helped Michigan defeat Washington in the College Football Playoff National Championship, finishing with 21 carries for 134 yards and two touchdowns. He was named the game’s Offensive MVP. He led the NCAA in 2023 with 27 rushing touchdowns, 28 total touchdowns, and 168 points scored, setting Michigan and Big Ten single-season records in all three categories. He finished his college career as Michigan’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (58), total touchdowns (61), and points scored (366).
Los Angeles Rams Era (2024-Present)
Blake Nolan Corum was selected 83rd overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft. In his rookie season, he played in a backup role behind Kyren Williams for most of the year while contributing on kickoff returns. Corum earned his first NFL start in Week 18 against the Seattle Seahawks but suffered a season-ending fractured forearm in that game. He closed his rookie campaign with 58 carries for 207 rushing yards and seven receptions for 58 receiving yards.
Off the field, Corum threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park on April 7, 2024, just weeks before the draft. He continues to be viewed as a versatile back whose experience in both the running game and special teams gives the Rams a complementary option alongside Williams.
Driving Style and Strengths
Corum plays with a low pad level, strong leg drive, and excellent balance through contact, allowing him to consistently fall forward and pick up extra yards after contact. His compact frame and sudden jump-cut make him effective in tight spaces, especially on inside-zone and goal-line carries where he can exploit small creases. He also shows dependable hands as a pass catcher out of the backfield and reliable field awareness as a kickoff returner.
Notable Events and Milestones
Corum’s overtime touchdown in the 2024 Rose Bowl against Alabama stands as the signature moment of his college career, sending Michigan to the national championship and breaking the school’s all-time career rushing touchdown record. He is also remembered as one of the most decorated running backs in Michigan history, holding the program’s records for career rushing touchdowns (58), total touchdowns (61), and points scored (366), along with single-season records for rushing touchdowns (27), total touchdowns (28), and points scored (168).
Blake Corum Career Wins
Blake Nolan Corum’s career is defined by championships, individual awards, and record-setting performances at the college level. At Saint Frances Academy, he won the 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year in Maryland and helped lead his team to a number four national ranking. At Michigan, he was part of three consecutive Big Ten Conference titles and won the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2023, earning Offensive MVP honors in the title game.
Michigan Wolverines Highlights
Corum played in three Big Ten Championship Games, winning all three as Michigan claimed conference titles from 2021 through 2023. He was twice named Big Ten Running Back of the Year in 2022 and 2023, won the Big Ten Most Valuable Player award in 2022, and was a unanimous All-American that same season. His 27 rushing touchdowns in 2023 led the NCAA and set a Michigan and Big Ten single-season record, while his 58 career rushing touchdowns set the school’s all-time mark.
Blake Corum Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Blake Nolan Corum’s family background is limited. He grew up in Marshall, Virginia, before moving to Baltimore, Maryland, where he attended Saint Frances Academy. There are no widely reported details about his parents or extended family in the verified sources available.
Personal Life
Outside of football, Corum has shown an interest in other sports, including throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a Detroit Tigers game in April 2024. There are no publicly confirmed details about a spouse, partner, or children at this stage of his career.
2025 Season Performance
Blake Nolan Corum enters the 2025 NFL season with the Los Angeles Rams fully healthy after recovering from the fractured forearm that ended his rookie year. He is expected to compete for an expanded role in the backfield alongside Kyren Williams, while also contributing as a kickoff returner, a role he handled capably during his rookie season. The Rams are likely to lean on Corum’s between-the-tackles running style in short-yardage and goal-line situations.
Coming off a year in which he adjusted to the speed and physicality of the professional game, Corum will look to translate his college production into consistent NFL opportunities. His experience in pass protection, route running, and special teams gives the Rams flexibility in how they deploy him on a weekly basis. With another offseason of development, the team expects him to take on a larger share of the offensive workload.
For Rams fans, 2025 represents the first full season in which they can evaluate Corum as a complete professional back. His track record at Michigan suggests he has the talent to grow into a meaningful contributor, and his early NFL flashes hint at a player ready to take the next step.