It's hard not to look at Blake Corum and compare him to what Mike Hart was during his time at Michigan. A "smaller" running back, though the term small is relative, with impressive strength and burst.
A player that the Wolverines can rely upon to seal up a game with over 30 carries on any given Saturday.
The comparisons between Corum and his position coach make sense and it's now starting to seep into Schembechler Hall, too.
When asked whether Corum is a young Hart, the running backs coach and former U-M legend can see the comparisons.
"I need to think about that," Hart told reporters on Wednesday. "I just think—I love Blake, and I think that—and this doesn’t really your question but—I want to think about somebody like I have two daughters. One of them’s a beast and the other is really nice. So basically, one of them acts like me, and the other one of them acts like their mom. Blake Corum could marry my daughters any day. When I think about it, I say like, you want your daughters to marry who you are. That’s Blake Corum, in my opinion.
"I love the kid. We do have a special relationship. But like I don’t want anyone touching my daughters, talking to my daughters. But Blake Corum, he can do what he wants. My four-year-old says, "When ‘Bwake’ coming to the house?" So that’s all, the kid is special. He acts like me, he is me. He just eats better than I did."
Where the two might differ the most, however, is the boisterous off-the-field antics. Hart will be the first to admit that he has said some things he would like back. That's the unfortunate side of being young and the spotlight in your face on a weekly basis.
While Hart is remembered for what he's done on the field and what he's said to the cameras, his protege lets his talking happen on the playing field.
"I think I’ve been through things that we talk about and I just try to educate them as much—like it’s not just Blake, it’s all of them," Hart said. "I’m just trying to do it the best way I can, how to handle things, how to do things. I was a little wild back when I was young. You say some crazy things. Glad Blake doesn’t do that."