Tag: Blake Corum

How the return of Chris Evans impacts Michigan’s running game in 2020

Michigan football gets senior running back Chris Evans back for the 2020 season. How will his return help the Wolverines offense blow up?

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Last season was supposed to be a big year for Michigan running back Chris Evans. With former starting running back Karan Higdon graduating, Evans was poised to be the starter after years of being a backup or getting the start but not having as many carries as the backups. Sadly, Evans had some academic issues and was forced to miss last season, leaving him on the sidelines.

With him sitting out, freshman Zach Charbonnet had to step up, despite missing spring practices with knee surgery. He wasn’t alone as Hassan Haskins was converting from linebacker over to running back. With the lack of experience in the room, Tru Wilson was named the starting running back in July, but that wouldn’t stick to the wall as Charbonnet would start in the season opener against Middle Tennessee State.

Despite the lack of experience in the running back room last year, Michigan had some great success running the ball with their young players.

Charbonnet finished with 726 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with eight catches for 30 yards. Haskins had 622 yards and four touchdowns, along with six catches for 40 yards. Wilson had 221 yards and a touchdown with two catches for 14 yards. A player who was projected to have a big 2019, Christian Turner, only had 171 yards and a touchdown with four catches for 13 yards.

That running back room will look a bit different this year as Wilson transferred to Northern Colorado, and Turner opted out due to COVID-19. With those two departures, in walks two additions who could make this group even more explosive.

Freshman Blake Corum, who could see some serious playing time after getting 1,266 yards for 19 touchdowns and eight catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns during his senior year in high school.

Then the big return of Evans, who brings a different dynamic to the running back room. Charbonnet and Haskins are both fast running backs, but they aren’t your Chris Johnson type of fast running backs either. They both also had under 10 catches last season, as they weren’t used as receivers.

This isn’t to say that Evans is about to run a 4.24 40-yard dash, but Evans certainly has a different type of speed compared to Charbonnet and Haskins. Corum is a fast player as well, but once again he doesn’t have the receiving experience Evans has.

Evans was looked at as a wide receiver to some scouts back in high school, but at Michigan, he has been a running back that not only can outrun a lot of players, but he can make you miss with his quick feet as he jukes and spins around defenders. Oh and he can catch the ball in the backfield too.

In his career, Evans has run for 1,722 yards for 14 touchdowns and has 40 catches for 392 yards and two touchdowns. What can his role be like in the running back room that has two strong and young running backs and an incoming freshman that is also going to fight for playing time as the speedster? Ask offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.

“We did a lot of things that were similar last year with Giles Jackson, all the different alignments that he aligned on the field,” said Gattis. “You got a guy now in Chris Evans who has the ability to take those as actual hand-offs and not just be in the backfield catching routes coming out of the backfield. You’ve got a guy that can do both and that’s exciting.”

Mind you, Jackson is a wide receiver, not a running back. Last season, Jackson had more touches on the ground than through the air, carrying the ball 10 times for 69 yards and a touchdown, and nine catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. Jackson was used on jet sweeps and the like to get around the defense with his quick feet and acceleration.

Evans brings that to the offense and his speed is built for this offense that Gattis likes to run. Not only does he bring the speed on the ground, but he brings it in the receiving game, something the running backs last year had issues with. Michigan needs to have a running back that can go out and catch a ball if needed. Not that Charbonnet and Haskins couldn’t or didn’t but Evans is better than them when it comes to running routes and doing more than just pounding the rock.

What makes him a fun player in the backfield is you never know what he’s going to do. He can get the handoff and turn on the jets to get a big gain, he can catch a pass and make some people miss with his shiftiness, and he can even block to help give the quarterback time to throw.

Evans is an all-around running back, something this offense could really use. Having strong and quick running backs is great and all, but having some versatility in the backfield is what makes your offense more dangerous. This offense is built on speed in space, and adding another type of weapon that can do just that is what can help make this running back core even stronger after an impressive showing in 2019.

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Why Jay Harbaugh is confident Blake Corum will see early playing time

Why the first-year player should be primed to see the field early and often, despite the lack of spring practice and a loaded depth chart.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — If you’re a true freshman entering a running backs room with four potential starters at the position, you’re almost assured a redshirt, right?

For Michigan early-enrollee and true freshman Blake Corum, don’t count on that being the case.

Despite not having played a down of football and behind several players who have various levels of high-end experience, the first-year tailback is certainly going to be in the mix come September — even while having missed all of spring practice, as it was canceled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

A former four-star from powerhouse program Baltimore (MD) St. Frances Academy, Corum was noted to be ‘as fast as advertised’ two weeks ago by his offensive coordinator in Josh Gattis. All he’s done since arriving in December is draw rave reviews from the coaching staff, and he continued to do so with his position coach, Jay Harbaugh, praising his work ethic as a reason why he could see the field early and often.

“The guy who hasn’t played in Blake Corum, the good thing about him is he was an early-enrollee, so he did practice with us,” Harbaugh said. “So he has done a little bit of it at least. And even though he missed spring, he’s a guy who will walk through things on his own and he played against great competition in high school. I would expect him to translate and transition well in terms of the speed of the game and everything.”

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The challenge is that Michigan had two starters at the position a year ago in Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins — both of whom proved their potential as they got to be more dynamic as the season progressed. Chris Evans also returns, after having spent three years on the team as the veritable second-string guy, just waiting in the wings. Christian Turner has been oft-injured, but now that he’s healthy, the staff is eager to see what he can do.

Still, Corum is showcasing his level of seriousness, contending both on and off the field, bringing a strong curiosity and enthusiasm to the position. Traits which serve him well, according to Harbaugh.

“Blake is awesome,” Harbaugh said. “The main thing about him is he just goes all out in everything that he does. If there’s one thing that’s generally true in life as well as our football program is that the guys that just go all in, they don’t dip their toe in, they don’t think about, ‘Hey, did I do this or not?’ – he just goes hard with everything that he’s presented with. I think he got a 4.0 or close to it in his first semester. He’s on time for everything virtually. He turns everything in, he takes notes, he asks questions. He’s just a junkie for football, but also for everything. He’s very binary. He’s all in or he’s not into it.”

Still, not having an opportunity to hit the practice field — save for three practices in December — should be a setback, right?

Not always. It wasn’t for Charbonnet or Haskins, who missed all of spring last year due to injuries. Like those two aforementioned, despite it being his first semester and the calamity of the pandemic setting in, Corum has been locked in, which Harbaugh says is serving him well with the season fast approaching.

“I think that will serve him really good in terms of getting through this without being a setback for him,” Harbaugh said. “Like what I mentioned for a lot of the other guys, too, is we just have a lot of guys like that. You could put them a thousand miles away and give them a laptop and a field and a pair of cleats – they’re gonna find a way to make the best of it. Our team doesn’t make excuses and I think that when it’s all said and done, we’re gonna be really glad with the type of team we’ve assembled and recruited because they’ve handled it so, so well and Blake’s just another example of that.”

Corum will still have his work cut out for him, given the depth chart. But one thing you can count on: if he continues to do what he’s done thus far, should things remain on course, you can expect to see him toting the football in live games starting in September.

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In new year, Michigan loaded with options in return game

Special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh gave a long list of contenders for both positions, while noting one particular thing won’t change.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — There are two positions that seem to constantly be in flux in Ann Arbor, and that’s at both kick and punt return.

Some years, you have obvious choices — like Jabrill Peppers, who handled the bulk of both in 2015-16 — but in others, one player may get the call one year but not the next.

Such was the case last year, with 2018 starting kick returner Ambry Thomas out for much of the offseason with a bout of colitis. Though he got the start right out of the gates at cornerback, given that he didn’t practice much and that it was an uphill battle just to get him on the field, he ceded his role to true freshman Giles Jackson.

The starting punt returner the past three years was Donovan Peoples-Jones, but he departed with a year of eligibility remaining on the table, getting drafted in the sixth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

While he’s been one of two coaches working on special teams since 2016, Jay Harbaugh is now the bona fide special teams coordinator with Chris Partridge’s departure on Jan. 2 to Ole Miss. When he looks at the kick return situation, he doesn’t feel the need for change personnel-wise, considering what Jackson brought to the table last year. But, he certainly won’t be the only one back deep, Harbaugh explains, noting the need to have other capable returners to help Jackson’s job become easier, while giving different looks to the opposing team’s kickoff unit.

“It’s a really strong group,” Harbaugh said. “I would say overall, it might be the best that we’ve had just in terms of depth in terms of guys we feel like, ‘Hey, this guy could be an option.’ In the past, we kind of had older guys where we took it off their plate or guys were really young and inexperienced. So we have a nice balance now.

“For kickoff returns, we love Giles back there. I think everybody does. Crazy fast, super talented. And he even left some yards out there last year that I think this year he’s gonna be able to take advantage of. Just be able to continue to improve the way that he understands our system, seeing the blocking scheme develop. So expecting a huge year from him.

“And he’s got a great group of guys that are gonna be able to compete with him, make him better and be back there with him. Those guys are Ronnie Bell – he’s done it before – Mike Sainristil, Blake Corum, Andre Seldon, Mike Barrett’s been back there and does a great job as an off-returner, does a tremendous job blocking. So it’s a really deep group. Daxton Hill has been back there, Chris Evans.

“So we feel great about the quality of guys back there, which is really necessary, because as soon as a returner becomes a really big play threat, that’s when you see, all of a sudden, that guy doesn’t get the ball so much anymore, so it’s important to have somebody else back there that’s a legit big play threat.”

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As noted, with Peoples-Jones’ departure, Michigan will be looking for a fresh face to take over punt return duties.

Harbaugh sees pretty much all of the same faces on kick return having a shot to also return punts, with the caveat that there are two incoming freshmen who certainly could make the battle more interesting when they arrive in Ann Arbor.

“In the punt return scheme, obviously not having Donovan will be a new thing for us, and luckily we were able to get some live reps with Ronnie in the past,” Harbaugh said. “Mike Sainristil in the past. That’s something Giles can do, too, which is exciting. Mike Barrett catches the ball extremely well. Blake Corum is punt returner. I don’t know if I mentioned Seldon. And that’s not even excluding the Roman Wilsons and the A.J. Hennings of the world that are still kinda, we’re not sure yet. But those guys are electric. I’m confident they’ll at least be able to compete and push those guys. And if they’re able to get to the point where they can catch it with confidence at some point in the year, those guys can be legit dudes as well.”

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Josh Gattis raves about true freshman: He’s ‘as fast as advertised!’

What the Wolverines OC sees out of the first-year player and how he might fit into the mix of a loaded room of tailbacks.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Wolverines had but two offensive early-enrollees this year, with one being offensive lineman Zak Zinter. True freshmen on the OL are unlikely to play right away if a roster is managed well, but the skill positions are a different story entirely.

Enter Blake Corum, the former four-star running back from Baltimore (MD) St. Frances Academy.

Though Corum didn’t get the opportunity to showcase his abilities in spring ball, he did get to go through the entirety of winter conditioning, all while acclimating to the team, learning the playbook and what’s to be expected in college football. There’s no doubt that he’ll not only have an opportunity to play early, in just his first year on campus, but if Michigan can find a way to get him on the field, it will do so as often as possible.

And to hear his offensive coordinator in Josh Gattis speak about him, it seems to be more of a when rather than an if Corum gets significant playing time.

“Blake Corum is as fast as advertised!” Gattis said. “We timed him in the spring when we did our spring testing. Blake ran in the high 4.4 range. Just an exciting kid, just tough, physical kid. I’ve known Blake since his ninth grade year in high school. Just excited about that kid and his maturity. Leadership he already brings. He brings a toughness mentality. He’s got a great skill set. He’s a physical runner. People look at him as an undersized guy because of his height, but the heart, the strength and the speed that he brings packs a punch. So we’re really excited about him from that standpoint.”

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However, for the first time in awhile, Corum enters a running backs room that is not a position of need.

While there have been some stellar backs as of late — Karan Higdon eclipsed 1,000 yards his senior year after coming just six yards short in 2017 — and Chris Evans constantly challenged for significant minutes throughout his career, with Evans’ return as well as Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins entering their second-year at the position — and that’s not even mentioning heralded Georgia tailback Christian Turner, who has been injury-plagued in his career — getting all of the above their opportunity to make something happen with the football won’t be easy. And that’s without even mentioning Corum’s entrance into the fray.

Gattis has some ideas of how to work Corum and the other guys in, but it’ll be a precarious situation, regardless.

“I think Blake brings that same skill set (as Chris Evans),” Gattis said. “I’ve been adding those guys to the mix of what we already have. I just think that when you look at the depth right there at the running back position, obviously, we’ve got some good choices.

“It’s always tough to balance all the playing time and all the touches. There’s a level of having depth that you love and there’s a level of having depth that creates problems. And the problem there is the balance of trying how to fit all the different pieces together. But it’s gonna be our job and it’s gonna be a challenge to make all the pieces work together. Obviously, other ways we can complement that with some two-back stuff, when it’s split backs, and try to use your personnel as much as you can. Everything comes with a cost and reward. Personnels – which one you want to play in, who you want to pull off the field, who you want to put on the field.”

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For now, Corum has to do what he can in his home classroom compared to inside Schembechler Hall and in the Al Glick Fieldhouse. He’ll be waiting his turn in one way or another, but once it comes, he certainly has the chance to make the most of it.

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How Michigan’s early-enrollees have fared during changes due to coronavirus

How the Wolverines offensive coordinator sees Michigan’s offensive early-enrollees getting along despite the drastic changes due to COVID-19

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Something of a casualty this offseason has been those who have enrolled early.

With the novel coronavirus changing the way the world operates, the expectation was that those who had come to Ann Arbor early would have a jump on the process, getting all 15 spring practices as well as participating in the annual spring game.

However, now those players are just like anyone else, holed up due to the current ‘stay at home’ efforts. That, though, doesn’t mean there haven’t been benefits afforded to those who did arrive at Michigan a good 6-7 months early.

Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis appeared this weekend on the In the Trenches podcast with Jon Jansen, and explained what those who did forgo their final semester of high school to come to Ann Arbor have experienced, and why they still are somewhat ahead of the curve when it comes to the football program — as compared to those who won’t arrive until presumably June or July.

“I think the benefit for the early-enrollee guys is they were able to get with Coach Herbert and really get the culture and the way we do things down,” Gattis said. “They got a number of good morning workouts in before they were – obviously before we were (set) to start spring ball. They really understood, okay, how do we really want to do things. How do the upperclassmen do it? And I’ll tell you what: that’s a really impressive group of young guys. How well they work, how well they pay attention. How well they pay attention to the details. There’s some impressive guys in that group. That was the biggest thing offensively for us.”

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On offense, there’s but two players who came early — offensive tackle Zak Zinter and running back Blake Corum.

Both got a little time in already, with three practices as the team readied itself to play Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl. However, particularly with Corum, there were strong anticipations about getting him ready to play in year one, despite an already loaded running backs room.

Still, Zach Charbonnet, who ended up starting in his first year last fall, was somewhat similarly in the same boat, as he recovered from an injury that prohibited him from taking part in spring practices. Thus, Corum could still find himself ready to go.

Part of why is the leadership that other former early-enrollees have exhibited. They’ve helped those along the way to help make sure they’re fully acclimated, despite the curveball that the pandemic has thrown the country as well as the football program.

That said, Gattis feels that with the different pace of things at the moment, it’s also allowed the two first-year players to understand the concepts of the college game a little bit better than had they gone though the alternative ‘normal.’

“We only had two early-enrollees,” Gattis said. “We had Zak and we had Blake. Both of those guys have done a really good job of keeping up to task. Our veteran players have also done a really good job of bringing those guys along. We make sure we check in on those guys. I think it helps with a number of mid-years we had last year. A guy like Cade (McNamara) has been really good with taking those mid-year guys in. Ben Mason has done a really good job of taking those mid-year guys in. We’ve had some guys that have been assigned to bring those guys along, making sure we’re able to get those guys adjusted. I think from the strength and the workout standpoint, they’ve done a really good job. But this was their first install. Now they’re going through their first football install truly with it being remote. So we just gotta make sure – I think the way we’re going about it in going about it a little bit slower with one a week has really helped those guys really understand.”

To some degree, the players have been quite innovative with keeping in check with their new workout regimens during what should have been spring ball.

For instance, Corum posted a video of one of his workouts, and it certainly highlights what kind of shape he’s in.

As of right now, the Big Ten extended all organized team activities to be on continued hiatus until June 1.

Jay Harbaugh breaks down Michigan’s RB room at great length

A thorough breakdown of what each of the Wolverines RB are best at, where they are in their development and how they’ll be utilized in 2020.

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Michigan has something of an embarrassment of riches in its running backs room.

While there isn’t one breakout player as of current, a feature back, the Wolverines enter 2020 with four-to-five guys who can be difference-makers any give Saturday.

In 2019, we saw significant production from both Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet, as they combined for 1,348 yards on the ground and 15 rushing touchdowns to go along with 14 receptions for 70 yards through the air. But back in the mix is Chris Evans, a redshirt senior who missed last season with suspension. In his three years of play, Evans has 304 carries for 1,722 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns as well as 40 receptions for 392 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

That’s not even mentioning third-year tailback Christian Turner, who was sidelined with injury throughout much of his time in Ann Arbor, and early-enrollee Blake Corum, the four-star from Baltimore who has the potential to be a star-player in his own right.

Managing a loaded room

Speaking with Jon Jansen on his weekly In the Trenches podcast, Michigan running backs coach Jay Harbaugh is excited about having such a loaded room, with so many potential contributors.

He shares how the competition will play a big role and how it should enhance the position come fall.

“The big thing right now – not that it’s super different from last year or the year before – but tremendous competition,” Harbaugh said. “You have guys now that are coming back that have played. Three guys that have really played substantial snaps and a really talented incoming freshman. So you have a group that’s highly capable. There’s gonna be great competition.

“And it’s exciting as a coach, because they all love to get after it. They love football, they love the team, they play a selfish position unselfishly. They help each other out. They really bring out the best in each other and we put together a good spring with that kind of mindset and same through summer and fall camp, I think the result will be really special.”

One of the big things about having five running backs each with a unique skillset is the possibility of getting multiple on the field at the same time.

Since he arrived last January, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis spoke at length about putting the defense in conflict. With five players with myriad abilities, it’s possible that we see multiple backs on the field at the same time in 2020, Harbaugh says.

“Yeah, that’s something we did a little bit, and Coach Gattis’ background, he’s been around some of that and done some of that,” Harbaugh said. “So we would love to do it. To do that, you have to have the guys, like you’re saying, that create that type of confusion, they create that conflict. I think that we do. So it would be good to get involved with that in spring. Selfishly, as the running back coach, you love having your guys out there. I’m sure, if you could play with seven linemen, you would love to do that! I think it’s something if it helps us win, if Coach Gattis sees it as a way for us to score points, then we’ll be ready for it.”

From there, Harbaugh spoke at length about each different tailback, what they bring to the table, where they’re at in their development, and how they all fit into the grand scheme of the offense.

Starting with returning senior Chris Evans.

Read about Evans’ return on the next page.

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What impresses Chris Evans about Michigan’s younger running backs

What impresses the returning senior about the (new to him) tailbacks in the RB room.

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BRIGHTON, Mich. — What was once seen as a perceived weakness very well should be a team strength for Michigan in 2020.

Though the Wolverines lose Tru Wilson to transfer, the running backs room returns most everyone, particularly co-starters from a year ago in Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins,

And they get another productive piece back, with Chris Evans’ reinstatement.

Evans returns a senior, with three years playing experience, and speaking with WolverinesWire on Saturday, he thinks the sky’s the limit for this emerging group.

“Real good,” Evans said. “We’re gonna push each other every day. Nobody’s gonna try to be the tough guy. We’re all gonna keep everything in the room. That’s how we’re gonna do it.”

He already has an inkling of what Haskins can do, having spent a year with him — though the third-year back spent much of his first year with the linebackers.

But Evans got to watch his team from afar while he was serving his one-year suspension, getting to see now-second-year tailback Zach Charbonnet ball out in his first season of college football.

Given his experience, what are Evans’ impressions of Charbonnet? Obviously, all great things.

“He’s a really good player,” Evans said. “Good pass protector, especially at a young age. Being able to see it – I really couldn’t see everything. At a young age, he’s very mature and carries himself well. I’m excited to be a part of it.”

In December, as Michigan prepared to take on Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl, a loophole allowed Evans to participate in three practices, though he had not rejoined the team in official capacity just yet. But he wasn’t alone in that.

Big things are expected of recently signed four-star RB Blake Corum, who showed out in his senior year at Baltimore (MD) St. Frances Academy. Corum also partook in those three practices, and Evans likes what he’s seen from the guy who should still be in high school.

As a matter of fact, he sees a lot of the 2016 version of himself in Corum.

“(He’s) good – he got a mature mind in his head,” Evans said. “He’s all about work, just grind, grind, grind. As an older guy, you got no choice but to match him. It’s good to have a younger guy, because that’s how I was when I came in. Trying to push against the older guys, push against the older guys. I’m just gonna match his intensity.”

Hassan Haskins confident in emerging RB group

The Wolverines return all of their tailbacks while adding two more to the fold next year.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s a little premature to fully call Michigan’s running backs a position of strength, but it’s getting awfully close.

The Wolverines finished the regular season 81st in rushing, but there were multiple games where Michigan didn’t even attempt to run the ball, essentially, while in others, that’s all it did. There were three games where there were less than 30 attempts, and six with more than 40.

But Michigan proved that when it really wanted or needed to, it generally could run, particularly later in the season, as exemplified in the Notre Dame game, when the maize and blue put up 303 yards rushing.

It’s something to build on, and as of this moment, the team returns everyone in that room. Not only that, it adds Chris Evans back into the fold.

It has the look of being an embarrassment of riches, something redshirt freshman tailback Hassan Haskins acknowledged on Sunday evening.

“We’re gonna have a real nice backfield next year,” Haskins said. “We’re getting ready for that. It’ll be fun.”

Considering that both true freshman Zach Charbonnet and Haskins are finishing their first year of production, it really seems to be the start of something. Christian Turner continues to battle injury, so he’s a potential unknown at this moment, but they still have Tru Wilson as well, who’s shown to be more than capable.

There’s a growing level of confidence in this group, especially considering everyone Michigan will be utilizing has shown they can perform at a high level.

“We’ve got so many good running backs,” Haskins said. “Whoever you put on the field is gonna do our thing.”

The Wolverines won’t just have the aforementioned, though.

Michigan adds Blake Corum, the four-star from Baltimore (MD) St. Frances Academy, next month, and Corum already has gotten some work in, having participated in three practices with the team last weekend.

Haskins shared his first impressions of Corum having worked with him, and said he’s a little meek at the moment — understandable considering he should be in high school right now.

“I like him! He’s a real nice kid,” Haskins said. “He didn’t say much, because he’s not used to it back there (at the college level). But he’s a real cool kid.”

But what were his impressions as far as Corum as a player? Haskins is confident that he’s going to add something to the already emerging group.

“I feel like he’s gonna be a real good player, for sure,” Haskins said. “I feel like he’s gonna get a hang of it real fast.”

Josh Gattis praises Blake Corum coming out of first practices with Michigan

As the Wolverines prepared for Alabama in Ann Arbor, several incoming freshmen got to practice. Here’s how one standout did early on.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — As Michigan continued its preparation for Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines got a pleasant surprise, due to something of a loophole in NCAA rules.

The maize and blue welcomed a handful of players it just signed in the 2020 class to join practice, getting their first taste of putting on a winged helmet officially, before they ever even set foot in a classroom or moved into their college dorms.

Naturally, Michigan is focused on the challenges presented by the formidable Crimson Tide, but getting some guys in early for three days to take in their future surroundings, it was an opportunity to get them acclimated early and help them find their bearings.

“I think it was very beneficial from a team chemistry standpoint, just mixing those guys in, you know, kind of getting them around some of their teammates, and really kind of showing those guys how we practice and the culture that we have in practice,” offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said. “There wasn’t a ton of work that they could do, obviously. We were focused on our opponent coming up and moving along in our game preparations. But very, very pleased.

“You know, offensively we had Zak Zinter and then we had Blake Corum there early and really pleased with both of those young men and what they displayed.”

Ironically, the latter mentioned Corum is here in Orlando this week preparing for a game — just not the same one.

Corum is preparing to take part in the Jan. 2 Under Armour All-America game, held at Camping World Stadium — the same stadium the team he’s joining will play in the day before.

Speaking with ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren, Corum shared how his experience went getting to suit up for the maize and blue for the first time.

“I recently went to Michigan’s bowl practices. The first two days, I was able to go helmets, do all the individual drills, meetings,” Corum said. “The last day I was able to go helmet and shoulder pads. The individual drills again. All the meetings. I also got to do team.

“Overall, it was a great experience. I’m definitely ready to go as spring ball hits. I can’t wait!”

But what was it like?

There were obviously some differences going from the high school level to the college ranks, but given Corum’s experience playing under former Michigan assistant Biff Poggi, the head coach at Baltimore (MD) St. Frances Academy, there was some familiarity to how things work.

“It was definitely faster,” Corum said. “But I feel like I fit right in. It wasn’t much of a difference coming from a powerhouse high school, but it was definitely a difference. Everybody was flying to the ball. The speed of the practice was faster. Everyone’s locked in the majority of the time. It was great.”

Gattis said on Sunday at the VRBO Citrus Bowl media availability that he’s excited about Corum’s prospects, as he’s a game changer that could see early playing time.

Sharing more, Gattis was pleased to get some early work in with those incoming freshmen, but simultaneously, he and the team have not lost sight of the Alabama juggernaut it’s about to face down.

“Blake’s got a unique ability to be explosive with the ball in his hands and we’re excited about him,” Gattis said. “But, you know, we’re going to welcome those guys back in January and they’re going to have to really get back to work. It’s going to be a different set and it’s going to be a different team. It’s going to be new opportunities and new challenges, and so we look forward to welcoming those guys on campus.

“But, first and foremost, we’ve got to take care of the job that we’ve got at hand with this game.”

“I think it helped me a lot, just getting the three practices in before spring ball,” Corum said. “Once spring ball hits, I’ll be ready now, because I already practiced. I think it benefitted me.”

As a high school senior, Corum accumulated 1,266 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns to go along with 8 catches for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air.

Michigan’s coordinators share what they like about 2020 class

What the Wolverines coordinators like about their incoming players.

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Now that the bulk of the 2020 class has signed, the coaching staff can finally talk openly about what they like about who they’ve been recruiting all this time.

Michigan didn’t bring in its top-rated class by any stretch, but it’s a class full of ‘go-getters’ as head coach Jim Harbaugh has said, in that it seems like they want to be great more than the average group.

That’s excellent hyperbole, of course, but what can you make of the specific players coming in?

While the Wolverines didn’t bring in a five-star this time around, there was still a ton high-end talent to be excited about if you’re a Michigan fan.

On the offensive side of the ball, the maize and blue brought in a few playmakers that have the look of immediate contributors, seemingly tailor-made for new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis’ ‘speed in space’ schematic attack. Speaking to Jon Jansen on the Inside Michigan Football radio show, Gattis shared which incoming signees really stand out in the 2020 class, and why some of the other position groups are particularly special.

“I think we had a really good skill class as far as when you talk about skill players, we’ve got a dynamic running back in Blake Corum,” Gattis said. “You look at some of our skill perimeter players: A.J. Henning, Roman Wilson, Eamonn Dennis – those guys have a chance with the ball in their hands to put fear into an opposing defense and defensive coordinator. Guys with great ball skills and can run routes. Blake is a guy that’s tough, is versatile, can run routes out of the backfield, can run the ball, can really hit it home, being a home run hitter.

“And also, you look at the tight end position and Matt Hibner. A guy that have versatility, can catch the ball, can block. Everything we need from that standpoint. And also reloading up front, getting some big guys. Big, tough, physical linemen that can really move people up front, but also have the versatility to play inside or outside, whether it’s center-guard or guard-tackle. We feel like we’ve got a really complete class that we were able to sign on offense.”

While this offensive class certainly has its share of playmakers, the 2020 class has the look of being more defensive-oriented.

13 of the 22 signees project to the defensive side of the ball, while there are a handful — like the aforementioned Dennis — who are projected to the offensive side, but could be equally suited for the defensive side.

Defensive coordinator Don Brown also spoke to Jansen about the incoming group, and he seemed particularly pleased with the men he’s bringing in up front along the defensive line when asked about which players stand out in the 2020 class.

“Very athletic. This is the most athletic group we’ve signed on defense and the biggest,” Brown said. “We’re really excited about it. You alluded to up front – Braiden McGregor was the first guy in the door on Wednesday in terms of getting his letter of intent in. He’s a Michigan guy. He’s a big guy. We’re expecting big things from him. Aaron Lewis, Kris Jenkins for sure. We’re fortunate enough to pick up Jaylen Harrell who’s a guy in the mold of a Josh Uche-type, who can really rush the passer, play middle linebacker, but he also has tremendous size. He’s 6-5, 240-pounds.

“Again, athletically, we really feel like we’ve signed four guys that can flat-out play up front, for sure.”