olu oluwatimi

Now that's some good newspapering. Notre Dame, always losing to Notre Dame by 275.

This is some top tier transitive property thinking. https://t.co/UHhtDDYLWN pic.twitter.com/4DS3uNeUuh

— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) June 2, 2023

Typical Notre Dame.

He's probably thinking about his roster. Excellent candid shot from a Harbaugh coaching clinic appearance:

Jim Harbaugh spoke at the National College Showcase Camp at Wayne State University before hundreds of prospects (and a few of his fellow coaches): pic.twitter.com/uKeUUFuzMP

— Alejandro Zúñiga (@ByAZuniga) June 1, 2023

I also enjoy Bielema looking like a popular meme cat from a decade ago.

There are memes old enough to be Baby Gronk, if you want to feel old. Please do not google Baby Gronk if you have never heard of him, you will die and not be allowed into heaven.

[AFTER THE JUMP: Otaku Kris Jenkins?] 

Hello, fan of an NFL team. MGoBlog excruciatingly scouts every Michigan play, and scores them to inform our coverage. Since mi atleta es su atleta now, here we share what we're sharing.

Quickly: Brainy, hard-working leader of the offensive line who made his mark in one season at Michigan as a mauling center who tossed blockers aside and centered the best OL in college football in spite of limited athleticism. 

Draft Projection: Oluwatimi right now seems to project towards the back-end of the draft overall. He's firmly a Day 3 prospect according to many draft boards, based largely on perceived low upside, connected to his less-than-ideal athleticism for an NFL center. Moreover, Oluwatimi is exclusively a center, with very little guard experience, so teams are likely ranking him lower on their boards than someone who seems more suited to fill in at multiple IOL positions. The lack of versatility hurts Oluwatimi in particular as someone who scouts do not project as a starter... if you're going to be a backup, it helps to be a backup with the ability to plug in multiple places.

NFL Comp: As I've done for my other write-ups, I'm offering up comps I saw while collecting material for the "what others are saying" section. For Oluwatimi those include Matt Paradis and Ted Karris. 

What's his story: Oluwatimi was born to Nigerian parents living in the DC metro area, playing HS football at multiple schools, eventually landing at powerhouse DeMatha Catholic. Despite playing with notable future stars at DeMatha including Chase Young, Oluwatimi was not seen as much of anything at the NCAA level, a meager two-star recruit. He wasn't on Michigan's radar, or anyone in the P5 for that matter, choosing to enroll at Air Force but after one season, decided that the military lifestyle wasn't his thing. He transferred back to the DMV area and finally had interest from a P5 school, Bronco Mendenhall's UVA Cavaliers, originally as a walk-on. 

Oluwatimi would end up being a multi-year starter with the Cavaliers, being incredibly decorated as a senior at UVA, All-America honors and a finalist for the Rimington Trophy for the nation's best center. With Mendenhall retiring after the 2021 season, Oluwatimi put his name in the transfer portal and Michigan zeroed in on him as a plug-and-play stopgap. The Wolverines were set to lose veteran center Andrew Vastardis to graduation and felt that the next wave of young centers on the depth chart were a bit green and not ideal to start yet. Oluwatimi, bringing one year of eligibility and a sterling track record, was the perfect player to add to the roster. It also made sense for Oluwatimi, as he was coming from a pass-heavy program in Virginia and wanted to go to a run-heavy team that could help him put a bunch of run-blocking clips on tape for the NFL Draft. He committed to Michigan just after Christmas 2021 and hype began building almost instantly. 

By spring practice 2022, there was buzz that Oluwatimi was already a leader and arguably the best offensive lineman on the OL, hefty praise considering the reigning Joe Moore line had three starters returning. The spring game was a tantalizing look at this and then once the season began, we learned that the offseason hype was not an ounce of hyperbole: Oluwatimi was actually that good. The combination of Oluwatimi and right guard Zak Zinter was the crux of Michigan's vaunted rushing offense, using those two maulers to combo a defensive tackle and open a hole so large that a Mack truck could drive through. Oluwatimi's grades at the center position were phenomenal on our end, harkening back to Michigan center Cesar Ruiz (2017-19), and fittingly Oluwatimi was crowned the Rimington Trophy winner in 2022, Michigan's third winner of the award. 

Positives: Incredibly smart center who has years of experience at the position, snaps the ball well, sets the line calls and reads the play well, and has shown off strong run and pass blocking ability at the NCAA level. 

Negatives: Lacks desired athleticism for an NFL center and may be limited in his positional versatility having played exclusively center in college. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: What others say, grading, video, conclusion]

With 13:22 remaining in the game, TCU led Michigan 41-38. After the game seemingly reached its conclusion in the late stages of the third quarter following another JJ McCarthy pick six, Michigan had engineered a stunning reversal in momentum, scoring 16 points in just 50 seconds thanks to a turnover. They trimmed the TCU lead from 19 to 3 in the blink of an eye and now its defense was hungry. They stuffed the run on first down and Mike Morris batted down a slant thrown by Max Duggan on second down. It was now 3rd & 8, a chance to get off the field, and a window for the offense to keep the train of momentum going.

Rod Moore raced down to the line of scrimmage moments before the ball was snapped, tipping an all out blitz. Michigan went Cover 0 and TCU had the perfect playcall, something Michigan fans remember all too well: a crossing route. A small pick was set by slot receiver Taye Barber on Will Johnson, switching DJ Turner onto star WR Quentin Johnston. Max Duggan felt pressure, stepped back, and delivered a good ball to Johnston at the line of scrimmage. Turner angled himself towards Johnston, dove for the shoestrings, and missed. Johnston turned it upfield and no one was home for the Wolverines, given the nature of the play call. 76 yards, touchdown. 48-38 TCU.

ESPN has TCU's win probability jumping from 57.5% pre-snap to 87.9% after the extra point went through the uprights. That play may well have decided the game and in many ways, it encapsulated the game. Michigan's coaching was bested by that of TCU's, and Michigan's players came so close to making the decisive play, but blew it. The moments of brilliance from numerous players were subdued by the miscues, from coaching to the players, and the final verdict, a six point TCU victory in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, will sting for everyone associated with the Michigan Football program for a long, long time. 

-----

[Patrick Barron]

Michigan got the football first and ripped off a colossal run on the opening play from scrimmage, a 54 yard scamper for Donovan Edwards after Michigan's OL put a TCU safety in the wrong gap. Michigan instantly was inside the TCU 25 and moved the ball inside the 10. On 2nd & G from the six, the Wolverine OL took a false start to back the Michigan offense up. Kalel Mullings was stopped after a few yards and on 3rd & G, JJ McCarthy went on an adventuresome scramble, one that was successful enough that it pitted Jim Harbaugh with an interesting decision.

Faced with 4th & G from the 2, Michigan took a timeout to talk it over and what they came out with was nothing short of baffling. It was the triple reverse Philly Special, with the intention of having Colston Loveland throw the ball to McCarthy. McCarthy wasn't open, Loveland was out of options, and took a -8 "sack" that not just blew a chance at points, but also gave away the advantageous field position conveyed by going for it on 4th down at the goal line. 

The Wolverine defense came out and made things right, though. They engineered a quick three-and-out, and the Michigan offense got the ball right back. Disaster ensued. McCarthy looked for Ronnie Bell and briefly had him open. The ball was out too late, giving TCU's Bud Clark time to close and jump the route. Clark snatched the ball and took it to the house. 7-0 TCU. 

This was the first game-altering play, and the momentum swing it caused was humongous. Michigan's next offensive possession was a dud, ending as McCarthy targeted a slipping Cornelius Johnson instead of a wide open Tyler Morris on 3rd down. They punted to TCU and the Frogs found some offensive rhythm. Max Duggan scrambled for a first down and a blown TFL by Rod Moore kept TCU in business and once in the red zone, the purple and black used Duggan's legs to pay it off. A zone read TD by Duggan from one yard out put the ball in the end zone and despite even yardage between the two teams, the score stood 14-0 TCU. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: the ultimate rollercoaster]