He's back.

After a knee injury ended Blake Corum's season early last year, he was left with the feeling of 'unfinished business' in Ann Arbor. Corum returns to Michigan for 2023 to once again form one of the best running back duos in the nation with Donovan Edwards.

While we knew about Corum's injury, we only recently learned how severe the injury that kept Edwards out early in the season was. It turns out Edwards suffered a torn patella tendon and played through the second half of the season with the injury. He broke his hand against Nebraska and was forced to wear a brace for the rest of the season. That means in Edwards' legendary performances against Ohio State and Purdue, Edwards played with one good hand and one good leg.

Corum and Edwards are back to full health and hoping they can display their full potential in what will likely be the last season for each in the maize and blue. But the story of this group goes beyond the lightning and lightning duo that leads it. A misunderstood sophomore is ready to turn an elite duo into a trio. A former linebacker is now officially former after making the move to RB permanent. And the next possible dynamic duo is looking to contribute as freshmen.

This summer, Isaiah Gash announced that he had surgery and would medically retire from football. It was difficult news for the Michigan fan base, Gash a former walk-on had worked his way through the depth chart to be a contributor. More than that, Gash was the hero of Michigan's close win vs Illinois that saved their undefeated season and propelled them toward another victory over Ohio State. Gash the player will always be remembered; the man has so much left to do. No doubt we will hear from Gash again, and we wish him well.

The return of Corum is obviously a massive addition in its own right, but the Michigan coaching staff is excited about their freshmen class of Cole Cabana and Benjamin Hall. Cabana had a slight injury setback in spring and missed some time including the Maize & Blue Spring Game, but he is at full health now. Cabana is a speedster, and like Edwards or former wide receiver AJ Henning, Cabana can impact the game in all phases. He may not crack the rotation at RB, but with Henning at Northwestern, Cabana may get to the field early with special teams.

With Corum and Edwards rehabbing their injuries, and Cabana dinged up, Benjamin Hall took full advantage of the extra reps in the spring and was arguably the star of the Maize & Blue Spring Game with 96 yards and a touchdown. Hall had silenced doubters showing up to spring in incredible shape and coaches raved of his work ethic throughout the practices. Heading to fall, there's a chance Hall has already made big moves on the depth chart.

Blake Corum was putting together a Heisman campaign before his injury at the end of the first half against Illinois. Corum still finished the season with 1,463 yards rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns. He would not get the New York invite, but Corum was still named a unanimous All-American. He returns to Ann Arbor and is considered by many to be the best back in all of college football.

Donovan Edwards dealt with injuries for the vast majority of the 2022 season. His 991 yards rushing was impressive enough on only 140 carries, but now we know 520 of those yards came with a broken hand and leg. His 9 total touchdowns came in only 7 games with double-digit carries. Edwards, a former five-star recruit, has the potential to be the most impactful offensive player for not only Michigan but all of football. We saw at the end of 2022 that Edwards has the strength, vision, and speed to punish opposing defenses. His hand injury left him unable to contribute in the passing game, but a healthy Edwards is arguably the best receiver on the team. A full season could take Edwards past his tailback partner Corum, and make him the Heisman favorite for Michigan.

Either Corum or Edwards could be the go-to back in short-yardage situations as they often were last year, but Michigan would likely like to see someone emerge from a group of Kalel Mullings, Tavierre Dunlap, Leon Franklin, and potentially Hall. Mullings got carries late last season with Corum out. A full offseason at RB could see Mullings in a larger role. Tavierre Dunlap and Leon Franklin have each had minimal carries, but now established veterans, either could find themselves a contributor or someone counted on late like Gash.

I don't know if there is a more slept-on player on the 2023 Michigan roster than CJ Stokes. People forget Stokes burst onto the scene last season as the RB3 in the season opener. People remember a fumble against Maryland that saw Stokes end up in the proverbial dog house. But Stokes was simply being coached up by Mike Hart. Stokes has never struggled with fumbles and no one expects him to. The perception of Stokes' season should be nothing more than a player who exceeded expectations. His 273 yards and 5.0 yards per carry were better than Corum or Edwards' freshman season.

Michigan wants to win football games by dominating in the run game, and ideally, they'd like to not have Corum rushing 25+ times in each Big Ten game. If Stokes proves he can be consistent in the run game and a threat in the screen game, he could be part of a rotation with Corum and Edwards. Michigan has favored spreading carries in the past, but you aren't taking the ball out of Corum or Edwards' hands if there's a drop-off in performance. Stokes could give Michigan another weapon, allowing them to stay fresh through all 4 quarters.

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