Corum climbs to 4th in The Athletic's Heisman straw poll
The Athletic polls actual Heisman voters, using the Heisman methodology. Tennessee's Hendon Hooker now ranks 1st, overtaking idle C.J. Stroud, and Corum climbed from 9th to 4th. Table below.
October 18th, 2022 at 4:22 PM ^
Three Michigan players also made The Athletic's All-America mid-season first team: Corum, Oluwatimi, and Mazi Smith.
RB Blake Corum, Michigan: Corum scored seven touchdowns on a lighter workload against Michigan’s weak nonconference schedule. In four Big Ten games, he’s been a dominant workhorse who has rushed 112 times for 666 yards and six touchdowns, with 243 yards against Maryland and 166 against Penn State. In total, he has 901 yards and a national-best 13 rushing touchdowns with an average of 6.2 yards per carry.
C Olu Oluwatimi, Michigan: Oluwatimi was a Rimington Trophy finalist at Virginia and has seamlessly fit right into the center of an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award last year. Michigan ranks fifth in yards before contact on running back runs, and Oluwatimi hasn’t given up a sack, per TruMedia.
DT Mazi Smith, Michigan: The 6-foot-3, 337-pound Smith has become a force in the middle of the line, taking up blockers to allow others to make plays while also ranking third on the Wolverines with 27 tackles, including 2.5 TFLs. He’s the anchor of a Michigan defense that ranks seventh in yards per rush and sixth in rushing yards per game.
Mike Morris made the second team.
October 18th, 2022 at 4:52 PM ^
This was the mazi we were hoping for. Damn shame Hinton bolted early, could have been such a great duo.
October 18th, 2022 at 5:18 PM ^
On the one hand, yes. On the other hand, Jenkins and Graham are doing pretty darn well; not sure there would be too much of a difference in overall DL performance with Hinton still there.
October 18th, 2022 at 4:25 PM ^
Blake’s going to make a run at this thing
October 18th, 2022 at 5:40 PM ^
Absurd that there's literally one defender and no OL on the whole list. Heisman is more like getting elected class president, than it is the very best player.
October 18th, 2022 at 5:55 PM ^
You expect an OL to be among the Heisman leaders? That’s unique.
October 18th, 2022 at 6:03 PM ^
I can't believe that in 157 years of Heisman awards, there have still been zero players from the scout team to even be a finalist.
October 19th, 2022 at 5:38 PM ^
Don't you remember when Camaron Cheeseman finished 4th in the voting. Just missed the invite to New York.
October 18th, 2022 at 9:04 PM ^
The award is for the “most outstanding player” not necessarily the best player.
October 18th, 2022 at 4:26 PM ^
Nice to hear. Blake is still underrated imho.
October 18th, 2022 at 4:28 PM ^
Tennessee will lose at least one game, and Hooker will be out of it. Everything for us--playoffs, B1G title, Corum Heisman--comes down to The Game. Will be huge.
October 18th, 2022 at 5:09 PM ^
Tennessee is going to beat uga. Book it.
October 18th, 2022 at 5:28 PM ^
Insert Lee Corso “not so fast my friend”gif
October 18th, 2022 at 7:10 PM ^
Georgia is a lot better than Alabama. Tennessee barely beat Bama at home. Tennessee will not win at Georgia.
October 19th, 2022 at 8:30 AM ^
Agree. Georgia will win by double digits. Book that.
October 19th, 2022 at 8:38 AM ^
UTenn has no defense. Zero. Zilch. Nada. They'll score some points, sure. But, at some point, they're going to have to stop UGA from scoring points, and they won't be able to.
October 18th, 2022 at 4:29 PM ^
And he is the only non-QB in the top 6
October 18th, 2022 at 4:36 PM ^
Wild to me that Will Anderson is still that high. Five sacks through 7 games is not exactly a legendary rate. And when I watched him against Texas, he was far from the game-wrecker on an every-down basis that Hutch was for us last year. Didn't pop much in the Tennessee game, either, tho admittedly I wasn't watching that one as closely. Looks like he has only 0.5 sacks over the last three games. I'm saying all of this only to point out that Hutch was clearly on another level last year and it was silly that the two were compared as peers
October 18th, 2022 at 4:41 PM ^
He has been good but not great this year and that Bama defense has majorly underwhelmed. Seems to be carryover hype from the insane season he had last year still affecting a few of these voters.
October 18th, 2022 at 4:58 PM ^
He's definitely a good player. It's just that Hutch is the kind of every-down defensive nightmare that only comes around every few years in CFB
October 18th, 2022 at 5:42 PM ^
Okay, I get what you're saying as it relates to this year, but Will Anderson had one of the most insane seasons statistically last year. I loved seeing Hutch in NYC, but Anderson deserved to be there too.
October 18th, 2022 at 4:52 PM ^
It bothers me so much that the Heisman doesn't go to the Best Player, but to the Best Quarterback on a Team With Playoff Hopes. It's so predictable now and the real very best players don't ever get recognized.
October 18th, 2022 at 5:02 PM ^
It really is a farce. Although Hooker has been phenomenal and would get my vote. Despite me hating Tennessee. DTR has also been outstanding. Stroud gets way too much credit for throwing to wide open 5 star WRs and will get a dose of reality when he gets to the NFL just like (checks notes) every other OSU QB. Ever.
October 18th, 2022 at 5:48 PM ^
"It's so predictable now and the real very best players don't ever get recognized."
With the one exception in 1997.
October 18th, 2022 at 5:12 PM ^
I'd love to see Corum invited to the ceremony because obviously Michigan representation there is great and he's had a deserving season, but I don't see him winning. Heisman has become almost impossible for anyone but a QB to win
Also, wild how Will Anderson has been kinda an afterthought this year
October 18th, 2022 at 6:14 PM ^
Alabama's defense has been down this year so more attention can be giving to Anderson. His stats don't stack up to the craziness he put up last year.
October 18th, 2022 at 6:37 PM ^
The East Lansing crew would cry for weeks if Corum gets invited and Walker didn’t last year
October 18th, 2022 at 5:32 PM ^
A RB winning the heisman is tough, as many have pointed out.... Being a RB with Edwards as your back up is even tougher.... because #7 is going to get his snaps, he's too good to not be on the field... Blake with 2 60+ yard runs for TD is eye popping, Heisman attention getting stuff.... Blake with one and Edwards with one is more like, "Damn, Michigan's backfield is probably the best in the country"
If Blake keeps churning out the numbers that he has.... and pops a few more long TD runs, he CAN'T not be in the conversation.... its just going to be hard for him to make his way to #1 while splitting time with #7. That said, if/when stroud and hooker have a really bad game, that opens the door.. By their close calls prior to losing to TN, bama isn't the bama of the last few years, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them lose another game.... maybe two, which removes Young from the conversation, and when we run the table, Blake's odds go way up.
#2 is #1 Corum for Heisman
October 18th, 2022 at 5:37 PM ^
Considering the amazing list of Heisman RBs who've been complete busts in the NFL, I'm not sure I want Blake to suffer that curse.
October 18th, 2022 at 10:22 PM ^
Despite the Big Ten looking mediocre in general this year, ALL FIVE skill position selections are from the Big Ten: CJ Stroud, Corum, Chase Brown, the 2 OSU receivers. Weird
(Also, 3 of the 5 OL selections are from the Big Ten...)
October 19th, 2022 at 1:53 AM ^
Interestingly, although the big10 can have a reputation for defensive football, and there are conferences like the big12 with reputations of all offense, no defense, the big10 has 8/11 offense spots and only 2/11 defense spots.
October 18th, 2022 at 6:37 PM ^
Just win, baby.
October 18th, 2022 at 7:20 PM ^
I see Utah's Cam Rising
October 18th, 2022 at 8:13 PM ^
So is it safe to say Joe Milton didn't win the Tennessee QB job?
October 19th, 2022 at 8:35 AM ^
I sure with i had clipped some of the 'insider' information from practices in regards to Milton. They sure would be fun to read now.
October 18th, 2022 at 8:14 PM ^
I hope he gets invited because he deserves it but also because the tears of Spartans will taste so good. Although, I do believe Walker deserved to be there.
October 18th, 2022 at 9:53 PM ^
he might win the doak walker and some other awards but the heisman committe is a QB slobberfest
October 18th, 2022 at 10:08 PM ^
We really need to replace the Heisman. Someone needs to invent another award for the best player in CFB. Ignore the Heisman’s existence. Give this new award to the best player.