Is Olu the greatest transfer in UM history?
In my 32 years of serious fandom, the answer is yes. Granted we don't get a lot of transfers due to recruiting and academics, but I shudder to think what this team would be without him. While Corum is certainly the MVP 1A, Olu is 1B, and Corum's year would have been less without Old. The guy is an absolute monster of strength, skill, and savvy. He will likely be the most missed player next year. But hopefully, I'll be writing this same post about Okie by then.
November 16th, 2022 at 11:39 AM ^
No one is drafting a center in the top 10
November 16th, 2022 at 12:39 PM ^
Agreed. He’s late first round if he’s very lucky. Probably more like mid 2nd to 3rd round. Tyler Linderbaum was a late 1st rounder last year despite being the best C prospect in ages, and the only reason he went that high was that the Ravens were in perfect need of a center like him.
November 16th, 2022 at 12:39 PM ^
I think unless you're an offensive tackle, its highly unlikely you're getting taken with a top-10 pick as an offensive lineman. I don't see guards or centers getting taken off the board until at least the latter half of the first round, usually in the 20-30 range.
I doubt he's a top-10 pick this offseason.
November 16th, 2022 at 1:36 PM ^
Frank Ragnow comes to mind, mid to late first rounder if I remember correctly
November 16th, 2022 at 1:57 PM ^
Outstanding pick up for Michigan, but he won’t be close to the top 10.
November 16th, 2022 at 9:17 AM ^
Willie Heston, the controversial Crazy Legs Hirsch and some others have a case:
https://thelivingstonpost.com/michigans-top-10-football-and-basketball-transfers-of-all-time/
November 16th, 2022 at 1:24 PM ^
Patterson over Ruddock? And Ty Isaac in the top 10? Dubious claims. Mike Dana was as productive as Ty Isaac.
November 16th, 2022 at 3:01 PM ^
The article was written a year before Danna played at Michigan.
November 16th, 2022 at 9:18 AM ^
The only remote competition Olu would have as a transfer is Jake Ruddock in the back half of his one year. But if you must look at the whole year, it isn't close. I'd put Mike Danna (DE from CMU) as a #3 behind Jake. Otherwise, football transfers haven't done a whole lot at UM.
But Olu should win the Rimington by a mile this year - he's leading the way for the best OLine in college football. When only football is considered, the question is closed right here: Olu is the best transfer Michigan football has ever seen.
For outgoing transfer, the biggest loss is Zach Charbonnet. Why he isn't getting legit Heisman hype is a shame - dude is GOOD. His problem is DTR is the focus of UCLA's offense, not ZC. Any other coach in CFB makes ZC the focus of the offense. (Well, not Ryan Day - he's a QB only kind'a guy...)
November 16th, 2022 at 9:29 AM ^
He also plays on the west coast and nobody sees him. Same with Caleb Williams, who you could argue should be the front runner. And that's at arguably the 2 premier west coast schools.
And, if you have 2 offensive machines, DTR and charbonet, people tend not to believe in the criticality of either, since you have options. If stroud, hooker, corum were out, all 3 teams would struggle immensely. Not sure if that's true for UCLA and Charbonnet, though it would hurt.
There is definitely east coast bias, but it mainly stems from the fact that they don't start playing until 10 PM on most weekends.
November 16th, 2022 at 9:58 AM ^
I disagree that Michigan would struggle as much without Corum as OSU and UTenn would struggle without Stroud/Hooker. Both those teams probably lose, Michigan wins with maybe one-two fewer TD's. I really think Corum is featured as much as he is because Heisman - I don't think the team actually needs him to run that much...
November 16th, 2022 at 10:41 AM ^
Sounds like someone who hasn't witnessed OSU have a plug-and-play option at QB ready for the last, uh 20 years?
November 16th, 2022 at 1:53 PM ^
Next year will be it! That's the ticket!!!!
November 16th, 2022 at 11:39 AM ^
I'd agree its less so for us - but more struggles for us than UCLA without charbz. DTR has shown he can win games on his own.
Edwards is a nice jack of all trades, but as an every down runner I don't see it. He runs very upright and gets walloped at least 1x a game. He's dynamic and I think he's got a lot he offers the team, but are you seeing something in the passing game that tells you that if we have to rely on stokes and edwards, JJ could put up 300 a game? Not a knock on JJ since we have had perpetual debate on Coaching vs. QB vs. WRs, but...
What I hear you describing is the trend in football the past 20-30 years.. that RBs are interchangeable, and its largely been true. Very few guys at the NFL level and college level are worth what they once were 20+ years ago.
All that said, i agree if the 2 qbs arent there, those guys have likely losses, but i still think our team loses a ton without corum toting the rock 25+ times a game
November 16th, 2022 at 9:18 AM ^
For out: Benjamin St-Juste. Not as good as Charbonett, but a bigger loss in terms of "roster-hole" at the time.
November 16th, 2022 at 9:23 AM ^
I haven’t seen a definitive answer on if Okie can come back next year, has that been determined?
November 16th, 2022 at 9:41 AM ^
I heard he was OK'd by the league.
November 16th, 2022 at 9:26 AM ^
Dunno, but best transfer out goes to Joe Milton. I just got a flashback on my feed for the Minnesota game... the year he started so nicely then completely cratered. That was NOT that long ago....... And, I'm mainly shitting on him because of his attitude on the way out.
Just goes to show how low impact our transfers have been that there's not even that much debate on this... think about LSU - Joe Burrow, Tennessee - Hooker, Auburn - Cam Newton, USC - the entire Okla Roster, ... and that's with heavy recency bias.
Of the few guys who came here as transfers, very few have panned out into a lot. Mike Danna has had a nice NFL career, but wasn't a huge impact at UM.
So, in conclusion. yes because there have been so few, and the few we've had rarely had impact.
November 16th, 2022 at 9:50 AM ^
Olu has been great, and - one thing I would note, since certain comments have been made about "how many" transfers join Michigan's roster is this - Olu is a "grad" transfer. So, he had completed his undergraduate degree.
And, to also compliment Olu, his undergraduate degree is from - The University of Virginia, another AAU (Association of American Universities) school. So, the expectations and degree completion reflect rigor and an institution who is a member of an academic community that Michigan is also part of.
Regardless, great contribution by Olu. Go Blue!
November 16th, 2022 at 10:30 AM ^
Mike Smith was the straw that stirred the drink on that 2020 basketball team. Other than that, maybe a baseball player?
November 16th, 2022 at 10:30 AM ^
Could have been Patterson if not for his golfing addiction.
November 16th, 2022 at 10:37 AM ^
he is, but only because we lost out on Uncle Rico.
November 16th, 2022 at 10:55 AM ^
Yup. You're picking up a top 2-3 player in the country at a very important position. Also a leader and a big force in the locker room from what I've read. Absent pulling a Heisman-level RB/QB, that is just about as good as it gets.
November 16th, 2022 at 10:57 AM ^
Right now it is Olu. I'm hoping we get another year of Okie because he shows flashes of that 5star rating he had. If we get another year of him, that would be great.
November 16th, 2022 at 11:23 AM ^
In recent history yes. Competition would be Shea Patterson, Jonathan Goodwin, Mike Danna, Jake Rudock, and Blake O'Neill.*
- In HISTORY history it's Willie Heston, who played one year for Yost at Stanford then transferred in 1901 to destroy the country.
- Best lineman transfer in history is Count Villa from Walla Walla, Washington.
- There are a bunch of others from WW2, when Michigan's deal with the Navy meant they could pick off other teams' stars like OSU quarterback Howard Yerges, Hall of Fame Wisconsin RB Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, Minnesota power back Bill Daley, and Purdue slot back Bump Elliott.
You're going to have a ton of competition from those early years because Michigan was primarily a grad school back then and just about everybody played for a small college before coming here.
* [Here's a full list of transfers since 1990 in my database: Alan Bowman, Olu Oluwatimi, Andrew Gentry, Cam Goode, Daylen Baldwin, Willie Allen, Jordan Whittley, Shea Patterson, Mike Danna, Casey Hughes, John O'Korn, Ty Isaac, Jake Rudock, Wayne Lyons, Blake O'Neill, Steven Threet, Austin Panter, Grant Mason, Spencer Brinton, Jonathan Goodwin, Russell Shaw]
November 16th, 2022 at 1:09 PM ^
I shudder when I think who would've been Harbaugh's first QB had Rudock not transferred in. Speight would've started with Shane Morris backing him up. Yikes and away.
BTW, much love to Rudock. 3,000+ yards passing (first since Navarre in 2003) and led the B1G in completion percentage (64%). Too bad he couldn't get a bird flu or something year for 2016.
November 16th, 2022 at 2:04 PM ^
If Andrew Gentry qualifies as a transfer, even though he didn’t suit up for Virginia, he’ll be in this conversation before he’s done.
November 17th, 2022 at 9:23 PM ^
I was waiting for you to show up and history this, Seth. I thought maybe Germany Schulz would be the answer given your podcast but I guess he wasn’t a transfer despite being a 25 yo ringer or whatever?
November 16th, 2022 at 11:25 AM ^
Here’s the definitive list from a few years back - the pre-portal era. Willie Heston is still the greatest transfer in Michigan history.
November 16th, 2022 at 11:35 AM ^
didn't elroy crazy legs hirsch transfer here for a year during ww2?
November 16th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
I absolutely love watching that guy pre snap; and this is from someone who doesn't really pay attention to the big uglies like that.
November 16th, 2022 at 11:34 AM ^
We would have been toast in 2015 without Rudock.
November 16th, 2022 at 12:07 PM ^
we shit on him a lot here, but patterson was a pretty darn good qb here overall. compared to the dreck from the prior 15 years
November 16th, 2022 at 12:31 PM ^
He's such an interesting case, isn't he? Yeah, he was ... fine. Better than some, but worse than others. But he was sure expected to be better than "fine," and as such he has to be considered a major disappointment. I'd take Rudock ten times out of ten -- that guy was an absolute fighter. (I still watch the replays of the shot he took to the head in the Minnesota game and wince -- and it's never talked about).
November 16th, 2022 at 2:14 PM ^
that's fair, but QB is the most important position on the field... even in our offense. And even moreso 5+ years ago.
So, i agree he was never the 5 star that we were promised, but he was pretty good. Rudock was tough and we always like a Novak over a smotrycz, right? Guys with great talent and pedigree have higher expectations... guys who grit it out are always appreciated. That golf thing didnt help shea either.
But objectively, in terms of performance, he was pretty good to lead the team a couple years at a time when we didnt have this stable of backs, this OL, this defense... etc..
November 16th, 2022 at 12:51 PM ^
I hope we can get a stud DE in the portal early next year.
November 16th, 2022 at 3:23 PM ^
Who’s the DB from Stanford who didn’t really play much but brought his mom?
That guy
November 16th, 2022 at 3:45 PM ^
I thought that the 1st year we got out of Mineral King was really nice.
November 16th, 2022 at 4:12 PM ^
Yes, Willie Heston is the greatest transfer in Michigan history, and Elroy Hirsch has to be No. 2. Olu is probably the best in the modern era.
Crazylegs Hirsch is a fascinating story. He only played one season at Wisconsin and one season at Michigan, but is still regarded as one of the greatest college football players of all time. He was the first person at U-M to win letters in four different sports in the same school year.
After a Hall of Fame career in the NFL, Hirsch was the longtime athletic director at Wisconsin, where he most likely stabbed us in the back by voting for Ohio State to go to the Rose Bowl over us in 1973. The vote was 6-4 and it was never made public who the six were, but most people assume that Hirsch was one of them. Bob Ufer - who was his track teammate at Michigan - never forgave Hirsch for doing that. Here's some audio of Ufer talking about it back in 1973.
Hirsch was also an actor, and holds the distinction of being the only former Michigan player to appear on an episode of "The Munsters." So we've got that going for us, which is nice.
November 16th, 2022 at 9:00 PM ^
Elroy Hirsch