All eyes on Olu Oluwatimi heading into the Michigan opener
The Michigan offensive line has a chance to be even better this year than last, according to most at Schembechler Hall. But … you never know how an offensive line is going to jell from one year to the next, even with only a few new (and talented) starters.
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If ever there were a sure thing, however, it seems Olu Oluwatimi at center would be it. Last year’s Rimington Award finalist at Virginia is surrounded by outstanding talent at Michigan, and he’s determined to make the most of it.
“There’s no added pressure,” Oluwatimi told former Michigan offensive tackle Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches Podcast of playing on a bigger stage. “At the end of the day, I have a high standard for myself. I set team goals and personal goals, but all that is just secondary to having fun and having the will to win. There’s no extra pressure.
“I do definitely want to be tabbed to be the best center in the country. And I want to be the first center off the board come April next year [in the NFL Draft]. I want to be an All-American, win the Rimington Award. Those are some of my personal goals.”
Mostly, though, he just wants to win. To do that, he’s worked hard on improving the areas he felt needed work.
“Flexibility is one thing,” the Michigan grad student continued. “My second level blocking. I would say those are the biggest things I wanted to improve on going into this season.
“Being at Michigan is definitely going to help me do that. I’m going to be able to pull out and be in space and see if I made those improvements.”
Michigan man on a mission
Now in his fifth year, there isn’t much Oluwatimi hasn’t seen on the football field. At the same time, the offense is different, and he’s had to adjust.
Michigan offensive line coach Sherrone Moore said this fall it was like Oluwatimi had been here four years when he went through spring ball. That’s how prepared he was.
Now, he’s ready to prove it.
“I’m so excited to run out there in Michigan stadium and play someone else,” Oluwatimi said. “It’s been great battles going against Michigan every day, but I’m very excited to get this season rolling. In a game, bullets are flying. You’re getting new looks every week. You don’t have a whole offeseason to prepare like we do when we’re going against the guys on our team.
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“Just that experience [I have] is going to give me calmness and confidence on game day to go out and execute and be able to relay the points and whatever we have to do so the O-line is on the same beat. [But] I’ve never been in a stadium filled with 100K fans. I’m very excited. I don’t believe it’s going to be overwhelming, but I think it’s going to add another notch, another level to game day.”
He’ll be responsible for the majority of the checks at the line, and he feels he’s prepared. He’s done his homework, and he’s about as smart as they come, per coaches and teammates, at identifying defenses.
While there are a lot of returning starters on the line, he knows this year’s Michigan edition will have a lot to prove.
“I definitely thinks we’re hungry,” he said. “There are a lot of returning All-Big Ten guys from last season. But that was all last season. We’re all hungry to prove and take it to another level this year. That’s how the o-line is.”
More than anything though, he’s just ready to hit someone.
“Just being able to go out there and impose your will. That’s very fun, just because you worked so hard to get there through training, practices, all that,” he said. “Being able to go impose your will on somebody else, that’s the best part about football for an offensive lineman.”
Especially at Michigan, where there’s a high bar for doing just that. He can’t wait prove he belongs.
