Steve Lorenz reported on Monday evening that redshirt junior offensive tackle Nolan Ulizio (who would be a fifth year senior in the fall) has entered his name in the transfer portal. As a graduate transfer prospect, he would be eligible to play at his new school immediately.
Hit the jump for more.
Ulizio was originally a UConn commit from Lakota (OH) West, but Michigan flipped him from the Huskies when Jim Harbaugh was hired. Here’s what I wrote about him when he committed to Michigan back in January of 2015 (LINK):
Overall, I like Ulizio’s mentality and football IQ, but he is a guy who will have to work his way onto the field by getting strong in the weight room and knowing his assignments. He reminds me a lot of former Michigan tackle Mark Huyge, who was never a standout but became a starter and was largely invisible on the field. Huyge wasn’t a gaping wound on the offensive line, but he wasn’t a dominant force, either. Ulizio should redshirt as a freshman and have at least one more year on the sideline before competing for time on the field.
Ulizio played in seventeen games at Michigan, earning six starts at right tackle during the 2017 season. Midway through the year, he was permanently replaced by Juwann Bushell-Beatty. Offensive tackles coach Greg Frey left for Florida State after the season, and new offensive line coach Ed Warinner never seemed to think Ulizio worthy of giving him significant playing time. He played some guard and tackle as a backup, but when Bushell-Beatty’s 2018 injury forced him out of the lineup, it was redshirt sophomore Andrew Stueber stepping in to start. Furthermore, it appeared that other players were in line to pass Ulizio, including 2018 signee Jalen Mayfield.
Overall, the best move for all parties is probably for Ulizio to go elsewhere. He can possibly earn playing time that he probably wasn’t going to get at Michigan, and the Wolverines can open up a scholarship for a 2019 signee or a transfer player. Michigan currently has 88 players slated to be on scholarship in the fall, so some other dominoes are going to have to fall in order to get down to 85 (LINK).
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Wish the young man all the best
Still, the NFL is not in his future. I would think getting a head start on his Master’s would be a higher priority, while providing emergency depth in Ann Arbor
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He can work on his Master’s elsewhere, and he’s not really even a backup option at Michigan. When Bushell-Beatty got hurt, they put in Stueber. The talk was that Jalen Mayfield was ahead of him as a true freshman, too. There’s larger than a 0% chance that Ulizio would play a fair amount in 2019 (you know, if a couple injuries happen), but IMO, if you go into a fifth year as a backup at a spot where there’s no rotation, you’re probably better off trying to play somewhere else. It’s one thing if you’re splitting time at RB or rotating in at DT, but on the offensive line, you’re only getting in if someone gets hurt.
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Without giving any names for transfers, I could see a RS Sr parting ways with a firm handshake, a couple RS Jrs and a Jr looking for playing time elsewhere. I’m still hoping for a DT transfer for badly needed depth.
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