The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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64 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2019 COMMITMENT PROFILE T hree-star offensive tackle Micah Mazzccua, four-star outside line- backer Osman Savage and three-star outside linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green all play at St. Frances High School in Baltimore, and all three are commit- ted to Michigan. After the massive of- ficial visit weekend from June 21-23, four-star running back Blake Corum became the fourth Panther to pledge to the Wolverines. Corum — the No. 8 recruit in Mary- land, and the No. 11 running back and No. 135 overall prospect in the country per Rivals — pledged to the Wolver- ines four days after leaving Ann Arbor and was definitely excited to be a part of the wave after the blowout event. "During the official visit I got to sit down with all the coaches and talk about how they would use me," Co- rum said. "We also talked about life and things outside of football. It was a great visit. Towards the end of my visit, I knew I wanted to commit there." Corum specifically named three things when asked how he knew that Michigan was the place for him. Not surprisingly, they were all on full display during the big official visit weekend. "It was the atmosphere, the coach- ing staff, the campus and everything," Corum said. "Coach Jay Harbaugh and I have a really good relationship, and he's been recruiting me really hard throughout the whole process. I just really liked it up there." Landing a player like Corum is good for running backs coach Jay Harbaugh and the offensive staff be- cause he is a very good player. Ri- vals Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman is pretty high on Corum and really sees a complete game from the 5-9, 180-pounder. "He's a very versatile back," Fried- man said of Corum. "He's a really strong, compact back with really good vision. He does a great job be- tween the tackles, but he can really get to the edge and catch the ball too. "He's definitely a guy who can break big runs when he sees the blocks in front of him, but he's also just really dependable and steady. He's used to having big guys in front of him who can open up running lanes, which makes him very comfortable at find- ing and hitting the hole. "He's just a really good all-around running back." Getting a commitment from Corum is also huge because of the recruiting trend U-M is creating at one of the most talent-rich programs in the coun- try. Friedman could not say enough about how important it is to develop pipelines into schools like St. Frances. "It's a huge connection," he said. "The benefits that St. Frances has given Michigan are incalculable at this point. If even three of these play- ers pan out, it will have been a huge boon for them. "There's no drop off in sight, either, which means that Michigan can con- tinue to recruit there, and it seems like they'll continue to have success." As a junior, Corum racked up 1,415 rushing yards, 280 receiving yards and a total of 20 touchdowns. He was honored by The Baltimore Sun as a second-team member of the 2018 All-Metro Football Team and was a big part of an undefeated St. Frances squad that faced off against some of the best teams in the country. — Brandon Brown Blake Corum Is The Latest Stud From Baltimore St. Frances To Pick Michigan Corum, the fourth player from Baltimore St. Frances to join the Wolverines' 2020 class, is rated as the nation's No. 11 running back and No. 135 overall player by Rivals. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Blake Corum has a great burst and really changes direction well without losing any speed. He also has a knack for finding open space on the field and does a great job of cutting back against the grain to make plays. He is not a blazer, but he has enough speed combined with good power for a smallish back. He is really pretty versatile as a pass catcher and a return man as well. Areas Of Improvement: For a smaller back, Corum is very muscular and might be close to topped out physically. It's hard to imagine him getting much bulkier or stronger when you look at him, so you wonder if he will be able to develop and improve enough to contribute at the Big Ten level. He is a dominant high school back, but might be closer to his ceiling than other effective runners. Michigan Player Comparison: Because of his build, balance and power in a small frame, Corum reminds us of former Wolverine superstar Mike Hart. Obvi- ously, Hart went on to be one of the best running backs in Michigan history, but as a recruit he was not considered a blue chipper despite dominating in upstate New York. Corum is more known and coveted as a prep star, but has the body and skills to chase after Hart's accomplishments while in Ann Arbor. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com