MIAMI — Michigan running back Blake Corum was limited late in the season and during the Big Ten championship game with an ankle injury, but he said on Monday that he’s healthy again heading into the start of the College Football Playoff this week.
The Wolverines play Georgia in the CFP Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami on Friday.
Corum, who ran for 939 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, injured his ankle during a Nov. 6 win over Indiana.
He did not play the following week against Penn State and carried the ball only 11 times against Ohio State in the regular-season finale and against Iowa in the conference title game.
But with more than three weeks since his last game, Corum said he feels “great.”
“I feel like my ankle is finally back,” he said. “I feel like I have my cutting ability, my top-end speed, my burst. I feel like I have all that back.”
Getting Corum back to full strength should benefit fellow running back Hassan Haskins.
Haskins, who leads the team with 1,288 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, averaged 24.6 carries during Michigan’s last five games.
Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said that not only is Corum healthy, but the entire team is too.
“We’re fortunate to be able to take the last few weeks and get ourselves back to 100%,” Gattis said. “As everyone noticed, the last few weeks of the season we were playing some really tough teams, but we had some bumps and bruises along the way, certain players being out. But the good thing for us is the next man stepped up and was always ready. And so we’re excited now that we’re finally back to full speed and healthy.”