Wolverines Wire
Two Michigan football players on ESPN's early 2023 All-American team
Trent Knoop
Michigan had four players earn All-American honors in 2022.
Junior running back Blake Corum was a unanimous All-American. Olu Oluwatimi and Jake Moody were consensus All-Americans. Mike Morris was on the second team for two organizations.
Heading into 2023, the Wolverines lose Oluwatimi, Moody and Morris, but the maize and blue return plenty of talent and numerous contributors from the 2022 Big Ten championship team.
It may be way too early for this thinking, but ESPN named its early 2023 All-American team for next season. Two Wolverines made the list.
Running back Blake Corum was the first. Corum, who announced he would return for his senior season, had an incredible 2022 campaign. He missed just about the entire Ohio State game was sidelined against Purdue and TCU. Even though he missed three games, Corum still finished with 1,463 yards and 18 rushing scores.
The only thing that derailed Corum this past season was a torn meniscus and sprained MCL in his left knee, an injury he suffered against Illinois in the next-to-last regular-season game. Corum was right in the middle of the Heisman Trophy race when he was injured. His decision to return for the 2023 season was a huge coup for Michigan, which will again lean on Corum offensively. He rushed for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns in 12 games and averaged 5.9 yards per carry.
The other player to make ESPN's All-American list for 2023 was guard Zak Zinter. Zinter was a main cog for the 2022 Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line. There was speculation he might forgo his senior season to enter the NFL draft, but Zinter will be back for 2023 — along with Trevor Keegan.
Michigan's offensive line has earned Joe Moore Award honors each of the past two years as the top offensive line in the country, and the 6-6, 315-pound Zinter has been a key cog in those units. He announced last week that he's returning for his senior season at his right guard spot, where he earned All-Big Ten honors as both a sophomore and junior. Zinter was rated among the top three guards in the NFL draft had he come out. His return means the Wolverines will have three of their five starting offensive linemen back in 2023.
Too-early Michigan football 2023 schedule game-by-game predictions
Story originally appeared on Wolverines Wire
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