Virginia transfer center Olu Oluwatimi committed to Michigan via Twitter on December 27:
#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/eqPYvXtyzM
— Olu (@bigolu55) December 27, 2021
A product of Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha, Oluwatimi was a 6’4″, 275 lb. prospect in high school who signed with Air Force in 2017. At the time he was a 2-star, the #160 offensive guard, and #3300 overall. After spending a year in Colorado, he transferred to Virginia and sat out the 2018 season due to transfer rules. He missed his first possible game in 2019 due to a hand injury, and then he would go on to start the next 32 games for the Cavaliers. In the 2021 season, he was named a Rimington finalist as one of the top three centers in the country.
Hit the jump for more.
Now listed at 6’3″, 310 lbs. (he got shorter), I have to be honest and say that I expected more when I searched out some Virginia film. I’ll admit I only watched one game vs. Miami, but Oluwatimi takes a lot of plays off. He doesn’t always move his feet very well, and he picks and chooses when to finish plays. And I say that in comparison to some of his UVA linemates, who can be seen hustling to follow plays while Oluwatimi is walking behind.
I’m a little bit leery of Oluwatimi’s signing with Michigan in light of the Willie Allen experience going into 2021. For a brief refresher, he was an LSU signee who transferred to Louisiana Tech and then transferred to Michigan for a semester and then transferred to UMass for the fall, where he played in just three games. Playing in the Big Ten at Michigan week in and week out is a different ordeal than playing in the ACC at the University of Virginia, a program that is lucky to go 6-6.
Overall, it’s certainly not a bad thing to land a Rimington finalist to try to replace sixth year senior Andrew Vastardis at center, but I’m not convinced that he’ll beat out the other guys on Michigan’s line. Not only does Michigan have youngsters Greg Crippen, Raheem Anderson, and Reece Atteberry, but there was also talk last off-season that another of Michigan’s starters, guard Zak Zinter, could have started at center in 2021. But going from chronic hustler Vastardis to a guy with some obvious loafs, I have some questions.
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