Michigan
Michigan 2023 RB Recap: Corum has historic season to lead Michigan to National Championship
“He was not going to be denied. That’s what I told (the coaches), just give (No.) 2 the ball. If you give 2 the ball, we’ll be fine. He’s a dog. Give him the ball.”
The quote from running backs coach Mike Hart came after Michigan’s Rose Bowl victory over Alabama, but it could have come after every game this year. Simply put, Blake Corum was a dog for the Wolverines.
In a season that looked like it was going to be a shared experience between Corum and Donovan Edwards, it quickly turned into the Corum show.
Corum scored a touchdown in every single game in 2023. He ended with a school-record 27 rushing touchdowns in a single season. He would add one receiving in the Rose Bowl, but the most important one came when he rumbled 17 yards on the second play in overtime to help the Wolverines beat the Crimson Tide.
The touchdown in overtime helped him break Anthony Thomas’ all-time Michigan record of 55 rushing touchdowns, etching his name into the record books.
Corum had more yards in 2022 (1,463 to 1,245), but he was more impactful in 2023. He was nearly unstoppable inside the 10 and he made the Wolverines’ red zone offense great.
While Corum was a menace to opposing defenses, he did get some help. Edwards didn’t see as much time as he would have liked this year, but he really shined when the lights were at their brightest.
Edwards scored on his first two touches against Washington in the National Championship to help set the tone for the rest of the game. He went 41 yards on his first carry and 46 yards on his second carry to give fans flashes of what could be in 2024.
His two touchdown runs were also a reminder of what he did against Ohio State in 2022. With Corum injured and unable to play, he broke off the two biggest touchdown runs of the season for the Wolverines.
When Michigan Football is in only 2 days you also can’t forget about the 2 touchdowns Donovan Edwards had against Ohio State! Go Blue! 〽️ pic.twitter.com/CWlmyiAB5k
— JD 〽️ (@MGoJDBlue) August 31, 2023
While Edwards didn’t show as much altogether in 2023, he came up huge when it mattered and helped win the Wolverines a national championship.
Meanwhile, RB3 Kalel Mullings was also pretty good in limited touches. Mullings rushed just 36 times this year, but he averaged 6.2 yards per carry and looked more like a running back than just a bruiser like he was a year prior.
Mullings also showed a lot of growth after his devastating fumble on the goal line against TCU in the College Football Playoff last year. Very rarely — if ever — did he make mistakes in 2023, which is a good sign for things to come since he will be a more featured part of the offense next fall.
Edwards will likely be the man next year after recently announcing this return, but it will be interesting to see who steps up behind him and Mullings in 2024. Will it be spring game legend Ben Hall? Or perhaps the speedster Cole Cabana, who didn’t play for most of his true freshman season? Or how about one of the incoming true freshman — Jordan Marshall or Micah Ka’apana?
Next season brings many questions marks, but let us not be so fast to forget the season Corum had and how he fulfilled his promise of bringing Michigan a national championship.
Michigan
Leaders say that racial equity in businesses is key for Michigan growth • Michigan Advance
During a Wednesday panel discussion that addressed the importance of racial equity in Michigan’s population growth at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference, an African-American business leader said the issue is paramount to Michigan’s success.
“If we are a state that wants to grow and develop, we have to take on the racial equity issue, and we have to take on a different lens in shoring up opportunity for Black businesses and small businesses, generally,” said Charity Dean, Michigan Black Business Alliance president and CEO.
Joining Dean on the panel were Hilary Doe, Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) chief growth officer and marketing officer, and Andre Perry, Brookings Institution, senior fellow. Yazeed Moore, W.K. Kellogg Foundation Michigan Programs director, moderated the panel discussion.
Black business leaders applaud Detroit chamber’s focus on equity but say more needs to be done
Dean, a small owner and former city of Detroit Civil Rights Inclusion and Opportunity department director, said that strides have been made but “we have to be very honest about the disparities that exist.”
“We are looking at small businesses as a driver of economic development for our state and we are intentionally calling out all of the ways that disparity has impacted Black business, specifically, and small businesses, as well,” said Dean about the Michigan Black Business Alliance.
Doe said that this a “watershed moment” for Michigan but it has “momentum.”
Michigan has 9.9 million residents; African Americans compose about 14% of the population. The state’s largest city, Detroit, is 77% Black. Michigan’s population is expected to experience slow growth over the next decade and then decline through mid-century, according to an April report.
In June, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive creating the Growing Michigan Together Council, a bipartisan panel aimed at developing strategies to attract and retain talent, improve education, and update transportation and water infrastructure. Doe heads that effort.
Since that time, MEDC has interacted with more than 11,000 people through 80 organizations that were essentially “listening sessions.” She said the goal of the growth strategy “needs to be owned by all of us.”
“It is so critical that it is owned by Michiganders, so critical that people see themselves in the strategy,” Doe said. She has said that efforts like Black Tech Saturday will help to retain and grow Michigan’s population.
Perry said that “as conditions for Black small business go, it creates better conditions and the quality of life for the entire community.”
After the panel discussion, a poll released by MEDC “underscore that Michigan’s leadership on climate action and other policies are population and economic growth drivers as well,” said Doe. “We want to build on our value proposition to appeal to the young talent in our state and across the country.”
The poll surveyed 6,098 people from 15 cities across the United States that are popular among young talent, including Atlanta, New York City and Austin, Texas, among others.
The most mobile people are those between age 20 and 34. Understanding why these individuals choose to move is critical to reversing Michigan’s existing population trends, according to U.S. Census data.
While Michigan is in-line with neighboring states when it comes to retention, attracting new residents has been challenging. Michigan is 49th in the nation in terms of residents who live here but weren’t born in-state. The population growth effort collaborated with Generation Lab to conduct this survey that targeted this age group to better understand their relocation trends.
The poll revealed which considerations are most important to young people when choosing a place to call home. Among the top factors were:
- Diverse and safe communities, and those welcoming to immigrants.
- Future-focused communities making investments in the fight against climate change.
- Access to reproductive health care.
- Amenity-rich and walkable communities, including those with robust transit.
Overall, more than 50% of survey respondents strongly agreed that access to reproductive healthcare, diversity and welcoming immigration policies, community safety, unionization and combating climate change were important factors in where they chose to live. Fifty-two percent of respondents aged 25 to 34 said they wish their community did more to combat climate change.
“When folks think about looking for a place to call home, we want them to think of Michigan,” Doe said. “The findings from this poll will be folded into the population effort’s work, and into our thinking as we partner with Michigan communities to launch pilots and programs that support regions in retaining current residents and welcoming new faces to our great state.”
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Michigan
Michigan’s summer gas rules begin this weekend. What does that mean?
Michigan
Investigation continues after Michigan mother fatally struck by vehicle near Silver Lake Sand Dunes
(CBS DETROIT) – A 33-year-old Michigan mother was killed on Sunday after she was struck by a vehicle while saving her 2-year-old daughter at the Silver Lake State Park Sand Dunes.
According to the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened on the “drag strip” near sand dunes.
Authorities say a woman, identified as Kadie Price, and her family were standing outside of their vehicle watching a race when the driver of a modified 1980 Jeep CJ lost control and struck a family’s vehicle.
Price was struck by the family vehicle. Prior to the crash, the sheriff’s office says she pushed her 2-year-old daughter out of the way, “likely saving her daughter from serious injury or worse.”
Bystanders attempted to save Price; however, she died from her injuries at the scene.
Officials say the driver, a 64-year-old Michigan man, has been identified. His name is not being released pending further investigation.
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