ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Entering his sixth year, Virginia transfer center Olusegun Oluwatimi is a young, old guy, in that he’s extremely experienced, but in a way, he’s learning everything anew.
Coming to Ann Arbor from Charlottesville, the Rimington Award finalist has had to learn a new playbook, an entirely new offensive system, and do so while going up against players like Mazi Smith — who The Athletic named as college football’s biggest freak — and emerging players like Kris Jenkins. While there are a ton of unknowns, at least to the fan base and media, on the defensive front, Oluwatimi feels like the tackles opposite him are helping make him a better player in fall camp.
“It’s a challenge, Mazi’s a big, strong individual,” Oluwatimi said. “He’s quick, also very athletic. But it’s not just him — we got Jenkins, he’s a dog. Cam Goode as grad transfer, Mason Graham as a young dude, George Rooks. I mean, the list goes on and on. So every day is a battle in there. I gotta bring it, or I’m gonna get my butt kicked. So yeah.”
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While things have slowed down for Oluwatimi in fall compared to spring ball, it’s still something of a challenge.
Fans are anxiously awaiting to see him in action, but there’s a level of confidence he brings to the offensive line. However, the defensive front continues to be a question as it not only replaces some key players — such as Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, and Dax Hill — but also defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. But Oluwatimi isn’t concerned about what that side of the ball will do once the season arrives. The way he describes it, it’s not terribly different than what we saw a year ago.
“Man, Coach Minter and his defense,” Oluwatimi said. “They’re very good at disguising coverage, disguising blitzes and things of that nature. So it puts a stress on what I’m trying to point out, who’s coming, or protection or different things.
“During the spring, I’ll say bullets are flying a lot more faster, just because I’m learning — new players playing in front of me too. Now, I got hundreds of reps going against Mazi and Kris and all that. So, it’s been slower now. So now I can worry about more what that whole defense is doing. But, you know, Coach Minter does a great job of keeping us on our toes.”
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From a personal standpoint, it wasn’t a thought-of challenge for Oluwatimi to come to Ann Arbor and establish himself as a leader. It just kind of happened naturally.
Of course, he’s hoping that Michigan will better help him reach his dream of getting to the NFL, but the team goals were a part of his motivation. Echoing what wide receiver Roman Wilson said about the expected trajectory of the program, Oluwatimi came to Ann Arbor to help the Wolverines win a championship — not to simply have a so-so season. And he’s relying on the experience of those who helped propel the maize and blue in 2021 to inform his own level of play.
“First, Michigan football has a standard of winning. So me coming here, I gotta match that standard and try to exceed it,” Oluwatimi said. “So from that standpoint, I want to win. And then, also me just being a competitor, I don’t want to play this game and be a loser. So, I want to win every game on our schedule, and win a national championship. So, last year is last year and the guys that were here last year, they’re definitely they’re gonna pull on those experiences to bring everybody with them this year. I wasn’t a part of that. But I will definitely do my part to help us win.”
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