Blake Corum lands on preseason Maxwell Award watch list

Announced Monday morning, Michigan Wolverines junior running back Blake Corum has been recognized on the watch list for the Maxwell Award, given to college football’s overall best player of the year.

The last Wolverine to make the watch list for the Maxwell Award was wide receiver Nico Collins back in 2020, before he opted out of that season. The last Wolverine to win the award was Desmond Howard in 1991.

Other players to make the watch list from the Big Ten include Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud, OSU running back TreVeyon Henderson, OSU wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Illinois running back Chase Brown, Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorn, MSU wide receiver Jayden Reed, Northwestern running back Evan Hull, Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, Purdue quarterback Sean O’Connell and Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen.

The speedy and shifty Corum is set to play a starting role this fall for the Wolverines. He split time last year with Hassan Haskins, who is now in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans, and will likely split carries this season with sophomore Donovan Edwards. But Corum for all intents and purposes is set to take on a larger role than he had last season.

As a sophomore in 2021, Corum ran 144 times for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games. He also had 24 receptions for 141 yards and one touchdown. He also made some noise as a kick returner as well, returning 12 kicks for 304 yards (25.3 average), with a long of 79 yards.

With Corum landing on the Maxwell Award watch list, I assume he will also end up on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the best running back in college football. That has yet to be announced, but should be sometime later this week.

Corum is truly a jack of all trades and can make a positive impact on both offense and special teams. Watch for him to be among Michigan’s most versatile and best overall players in 2022.