The inherenT,, unrelenting work ethic 
spurring Blake Corum's stardom 

Even James Corum struggles to put his son’s 

success into words.

He’s asked the question all the time: What’s it 

like watching Blake? Usually, he shuffles through 

a slate of buzzwords, calling it a “blessing,” a 

“joy” and a “dream.” Sometimes, though, he 

allows himself to think a little deeper.

“At the end of the day, it makes me reflect on 

everything that he’s done to get to this point,” 

James Corum told The Daily. “He’s put in a lot 

of work. People can just hear the story. But I’ve 

seen it. To see that from four years old to now, it’s 

just, he deserves it.”

That last thought consumes James during 

these overwhelming moments of pride. Stand-

ing in the Big House, surrounded by thousands 

of fans donning Corum jerseys and cheering for 

Blake’s never-ending exploits, watching his son 

pilot one of the most domineering programs in 

college football, James thinks back to where it 

all started.

Blake’s success is borne out of an undeni-

able, unrelenting work ethic. As an elementary 

schooler, he performed over 200 push-ups and 

200 sit-ups daily in his bedroom. In middle 

school, James picked up Blake at the end of the 

school day and drove to the high school, that 

way Blake could lift with the older kids. In high 

school, he’d wake up early to box with his train-

ers before commuting to school.

“I’ve always loved the work,” Blake said on 

Oct. 25. “… I’ve always had the hard work and it’s 

never left me. I’m always trying to find a way to 

outdo someone.”

That mindset was present from a young age. 

As a seven year old, a prime opportunity arose 

for Blake to push himself. The Breakfast Club, an 

JARED GREENSPAN

Managing Sports Editor

advanced level training camp run by Elite Star 

Performance, hosted weekly Saturday morning 

workouts. The sessions began with a series of 

one-on-ones at 5 a.m., followed by position-spe-

cific training that lasted until 8:30 a.m.

The Corums hail from Marshall, Va. Without 

traffic, it’s over an hour drive from Marshall to 

The Breakfast Club in Bowie, Md. For Blake to 

attend, he would have to wake up at 3:30 a.m.

“I would tell Blake, ‘If you want to go, you 

have to wake me up, I’m not gonna wake you 

up’,” James said. “If you want it bad enough, 

you’ll wake up at 3:30 on Saturdays and you’ll 

wake me up. As your Dad, if you wake up, I’ll take 

you wherever you want to go.”

James didn’t exactly tell Blake the truth 

– come Saturday at 3:30 a.m., he was already 

awake. But he needed affirmation; he needed 

Blake to actually go and wake him. He needed 

Blake to want it. That way he’d know that Blake 

was serious about going, serious about working.

“And every Saturday morning, he would come 

in,” James remembered. “He would say, ‘Dad, 

you up?’ ”

With that, James and Blake would hop in the 

car and drive to The Breakfast Club, one of the 

preliminary, formative steps in Blake’s football 

ascent.

Blake never overslept. Not once.

That unparalleled drive is the reason why 

Blake is the nation’s preeminent running back. 

It has propelled him into legitimate Heisman 

Trophy conversation, his performances helping 

to vault the Wolverines into championship con-

tention for the second year in a row.

Blake’s accomplishments have even pushed 

his coaches into uncharted territory. Jim Har-

baugh loathes comparisons – each time he finds 

himself walking into one, he regrets it, instant-

ly. Recently, though, something different hap-

pened: after accidentally invoking a comparison, 

Harbaugh embraced his slip-up.

“Blake is the best running back I’ve coached 

in college,” Harbaugh said, smiling. “… He defi-

nitely has the license and ability to be every bit 

as good as Frank Gore.”

Yes, that Frank Gore – arguably Harbaugh’s 

all-time favorite player. Harbaugh coached Gore 

for four seasons with the 49ers; Gore was a 

Pro-Bowler during three of them.

So how did Blake, still in his first season as a 

full-time starter, reach that echelon so quickly?

Well, to understand Blake, you need to under-

stand James. You need to understand the lineage 

of the Corums, a self-made, industrious family.

James’s grandfather and father each owned a 

mason business. In the summer, James accom-

panied them as they built foundations and 

chimneys. At a young age, he was especially 

influenced by his grandfather, who worked 

nine-hour days and then came home to work 

some more, tending to his cattle and pigs.

“He was probably one of the hardest working 

men ever,” James said. “… I kind of just followed 

in their footsteps. I was like, ‘Man, I want to 

work.’ It stayed with me. That’s what I was used 

to, and that’s what I’m still used to.”

Much like the role models before him, James 

works long hours to support his family. He owns 

a landscaping business, which he’s operated 

since 1996. His wife, Christina, started working 

in a restaurant at 14 years old. Together, they 

raised four kids.

Following his parents’ lead, Blake wanted to 

help out at a young age. Starting at the ripe age 

of four, he accompanied James to the shop and 

on jobs.

Even when James left Blake at home, Blake’s 

work persisted.

“One Saturday, I had to leave early that morn-

ing to move some equipment to graze some 

driveways,” James said. “He knew I was at work, 

so he sends me this video and he’s out in the yard 

with the ladder, doing some footwork drills, 

working out. He sends the video, and he says, 

‘You work, I work.’ ”

You work, I work. It’s the saying that both 

James and Blake live by.

That saying, as much as anything else, cap-

tures who Blake is. It also explains how he 

became so dominant. 

Chris Forsten – Blake’s first trainer at the 

Parisi Speed School in Warrenton, Va. – began 

working with Blake at the age of seven. Right 

away, Blake stood out above the rest.

“It’s not a normal age where the seven, eight 

year old actually wants to be there to train,” For-

sten told The Daily. “The fact that Blake goes 

in there and wants to listen, he wants to learn, 

he wants to figure it out, he wants to get better, 

that’s far from normal.”

Far from normal, but perfectly Blake. Forsten 

finds himself having to push most athletes he 

works with; that’s his job. But with Blake, the 

roles reversed. Forsten was compelled to deliver 

a session that pushed Blake to the brink, expand-

ing his capacities.

“Blake Corum decided a long time ago that he 

was gonna do something great,” Forsten said.

That decision continues to play out, day after 

day. Not once has Blake wavered on it, even 

during difficult times. 

Two years ago, during the heart of the pan-

demic, Blake would leave his house at 4:30 a.m. 

to train with his trainer at 5 a.m. At 2:30 a.m., he 

would text James: “I can’t sleep, I’m excited to go 

work out.”

“He just loves it,” James said. “He loves to 

play on Saturdays, but he loves everything that 

comes with it. He loves to work out. He loves to 

lift weights. He loves to get better. He loves the 

whole process.”

A love responsible for his success.

4 — Thursday, November 17, 2022
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

ANNA FUDER/Daily

ANNA FUDER/Daily
LILA TURNER/Daily

