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