Michigan center Olu Oluwatimi on Sherrone Moore: 'I love playing for him'
Michigan Wolverines football fifth-year senior center Olu Oluwatimi, a 2021 Rimington Award finalist, transferred in from Virginia this winter and has noticed some stark differences between the two programs already.
“I would just say how serious everything is,” Oluwatimi said on the Blue By Ninety podcast. “Michigan is on a national stage. I loved my time at Virginia, so I don’t have a lot of bad things to say, but Michigan is definitely a scale up for being on the national stage, and you see that day in and day out, just by the atmosphere and everybody around the facility. And obviously fans, as well — that’s the biggest thing. The fans here, they know you.”
Michigan also has a Big Ten title to defend and national championship to vie for. The competitive waters are hot, and practice has been tough but rewarding, Oluwatimi explained.
“Every practice is kind of like a game — we’re competing, we’re going at it and you’re getting better,” he said. “We’ve got some great players on the defense that definitely challenge us every day. I’ll explain practice as kind of being like a game. You’ve got to get your mind and body ready to go and play well, because if you’re not ready, you’re going to get exposed going against some great players.”
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While he’s new to the group, having enrolled in January, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said it feels like Oluwatimi has been in Ann Arbor for years. He’s already built great relationships with the rest of the offensive line, a position group that has a high level of chemistry after such a successful 2021 campaign.
“I’ve definitely meshed with the whole offensive line,” Oluwatimi said. “It’s a chill unit; they’re funny. We just be joking around, we be getting better each day. They’re a great group of guys, especially with [position coach and Michigan co-offensive coordinator] Coach [Sherrone] Moore, too. It’s just a lot of fun in there.”
Moore was a big factor in Oluwatimi’s decision to choose Michigan over the likes of Clemson, where he also visited, and Notre Dame. Under his tutelage, the Wolverines’ offensive line won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s top group of men up front.
“Coach Moore is a great coach,” Oluwatimi said, adding that Moore will be a head coach one day. “He definitely develops his guys, he loves his guys and he’s very passionate about ball.
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“Each day when meetings start to get dull — because we’re in there for hours — he always livens it up. We be joking around. He tries to help keep a great atmosphere.
“I love playing for him. He has a bright, bright, bright future ahead of him as far as what he’s going to do in this coaching game.”
In 2021, Michigan rushed for 214.4 yards per game, which slotted 15th in the country. That style of play appealed to Oluwatimi and was another reason why he wound up in a winged helmet. Oluwatimi graded out as the third-best run blocker at his position last season, per Pro Football Focus (PFF), and was named a second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.
“There’s nothing like it in the game like when the team knows you’re about to run and you can just pound the rock,” Oluwatimi said. “It’s a great feeling, and that’s why I’m at Michigan, because what’s what we’re going to do.
“I just loved the brand of football that Michigan plays, a very physical play-style, what they ask the center to do in the scheme — pull, be out in space, take more control in the run game with the points and stuff like that. It was just more appealing to me from that standpoint. I thought I would be more developed coming here than going to Clemson.
“And obviously, it’s Michigan. From a university standpoint, Clemson doesn’t really compare. So whenever I’m done playing, hopefully I can lean back on the Michigan alumni to help me.”
