Los Angeles Rams rookie running back Blake Corum credits St. Frances Academy for shaping him into the man he is today.
Coming out of Marshall, Va., Corum wasn’t always the star running back he is now. He attended St. Frances for all four of his high school years, playing for coaches Biff Poggi and Messay Hailemariam before enjoying a successful four-year career at Michigan.
“I didn’t really know about St. Frances until I got there,” Corum said on Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 16, “but it definitely made me a better man.”
Corum, now 23, came to understand that hard work, consistency, and brotherhood are essentially personally and professionally. Corum still keeps in touch with Hailemariam and his teammates from the graduating class of 2020. He was named the Gatorade Maryland Football Player of the Year and The Baltimore Sun‘s Offensive Player of the Year in 2019. A consensus four-star recruit, Corum was ranked as the No. 12 high school running back by the 247Sports Composite.
Corum credits all of his success to the time management skills he learned in St. Frances. That helped him to become a great player and an outstanding student. He was not only a star player for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, but he was able to graduate with a perfect GPA.
“It’s a true brotherhood there with every one of my teammates,” Corum siad. “[The coaching staff does] a phenomenal job at taking care of the players and putting them in the right positions to succeed.”
Corum left quite an impression in the four years he played at Michigan. He earned All-America honors and finished in the top 10 of Heisman Trophy voting in 2022 and 2023 and was named Michigan’s Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient this June.
The 5-foot-8, 210-pound back finished his career fifth in program history in rushing yards (3,671) and first in rushing touchdowns (58). Corum tied the Michigan record for most rushing touchdowns in a single game (five) against Connecticut in 2022.
Corum also helped the Wolverines win the 2024 national championship, their first title since 1997 and their first outright since 1948. Fellow St. Frances alum Derrick Moore was also part of the championship squad.
“It means a lot,” Corum said. “Coming from St. Frances Academy to Michigan … and going on a run with Derrick, it means a lot. We did it together, we went through a lot that season and we were able to come out on top.”
Drafted in the third round by the Rams this spring, Corum is more than confident about what he can bring to the team. As a professional, he has been working on learning the playbook and finding a role with his teammates. Getting used to the Rams’ culture has meant a lot to the running back.
“It’s amazing to be able to learn from all of those players that we have that are vets here and know so much about the game,” Corum said.
As a reserve running back, he understands that there is still a lot of work to be done. His consistent growth and winning mentality keep him hungry to get better as the days go by.
“Outwork yourself every day, don’t worry about others. Don’t worry about the competition out there,” Corum said. “As long as you can be a better person than you were the day before you’re going to get to where you want to go.”
For more from Corum, listen to the full interview here: