WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Knowing what 22 meant to cornerback Trent McDuffie, running back Blake Corumwas happy to oblige his new Rams teammate's request.
The switch, in Corum's words, "worked out perfectly," as he was able to pivot to a new – but still familiar and meaningful – number of his own in 24, which he wore in high school and early in his college career at the University of Michigan.
"So there's a great meaning behind it," Corum explained to theRams.com. "My dad (James) wore that his whole life through middle school, high school, (he) didn't get the chance to go to college, but my dad's poured everything into me and my sisters, and really just our family in general. And so in 2006 I started playing football, and it's crazy. I played for the FYF Rams, and I wore 24, and I was 24 my whole life, whether it be baseball, basketball, football, you name it, I was 24.
"And then when I got to Michigan, 24 was taken by Zach Charbonnet before he transferred, and so that's why I wore number 2. And then when I got to the Rams, I asked for 2 or 24, and both were taken at the time, so I wore 22. But it's to honor my dad. I can't thank him enough for everything he's done for me in my life, getting me to where I am, and the man I am, and so it's really just to honor him. And then one of my favorite athletes of all time is Kobe Bryant, and I know he wore 8 and 24, but when I watched him, it was 24."
Wearing that number in high school at Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, Corum recorded 145 carries for 1,266 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns as a senior, plus eight receptions for 152 yards and three touchdowns. As a junior, he rushed for 1,415 yards and added 280 receiving yards to go along with 20 touchdowns.
He took 24 with him to Michigan and wore it during his freshman and sophomore seasons in Ann Arbor, before switching to the famous number 2 – after Charbonnet transferred to UCLA, as he said – that the college football world watched him wear during his record-breaking junior and senior seasons with the Wolverines, including becoming Michigan's single-season record-holder for rushing touchdowns (27) and total touchdowns (28) as well as points scored (168; also a Big Ten record) that 2023 senior season alone.
It's not just the new jersey number that's a source of pride for him this offseason.
Corum and his wife, Makiah – a children's book author and educator – became a family of three after Makiah gave birth to a baby girl named Zara in February. Zara's arrival has added another purpose to an already-driven individual, one Blake called "bigger than anything I could ever imagine."
"During OTAs, working out and then going home and seeing her is just – you can have a bad day on the field or (have it) not go the way you want it to go, but as soon as I get home, she puts a smile on my face," Corum said. "It just brings me so much joy and happiness and love, and I feel like it's brought my wife and I even closer than we already were. And so definitely blessed that God has blessed us with something so special."
Family is clearly close to Corum's heart. He will proudly carry reminders of that with him in two meaningful ways this upcoming season.
"It gives you that purpose and that drive, something bigger than yourself," Corum said. "And going into Year 3, I've been training my tail off this off season, I feel like I'm in the best shape I've been in, in terms of just durability, in terms of speed and elusiveness, and I've just been working really hard. Going into Year 3, I want this to be my best year yet, and having my daughter, having that purpose, it's only going to continue to drive me to be the best man possible on and off the field. I'm super blessed that I was able to have my daughter, and then it's going to be a great year pushing me forward for Year 3."
