New Michigan football transfer center Drake Nugent, a former standout with the Stanford Cardinal, was one of Jim Harbaugh’s top transfer portal commits in the 2023 cycle. Soon after getting on campus, Nugent locked down a starting role, and through four weeks, his play has been nothing short of impressive. Heading into Week 5 – Nugent’s first road game in the Maize and Blue — no Big Ten center grades out better, per Pro Football Focus.
Hype is building for this Michigan football transfer
Jim Harbaugh assembled an incredible 2023 transfer portal class, though, to this point, few offensive players have performed quite like Drake Nugent has. Last year, Michigan football had the best center in football (Olu Oluwatimi), and this year, it appears that this could be the case once again.
So far, the Michigan football transfer center has helped lead the offense to four straight victories heading into this weekend’s game against Nebraska. His play to this point has earned him an 82.9 overall grade (PFF) — the best of any Big Ten center.
Drake Nugent happy with new home in Ann Arbor
Earlier this week, we had a chance to catch up with Nugent during his media availability on Tuesday evening. Despite the culture change and having to learn a new playbook, Nugent is loving his new home in Ann Arbor.
“It’s a lot different (being 4-0),” Nugent said. “I mean, obviously, I’ve always felt like I’ve had a winning mentality. I feel like in the past, I haven’t let that (losing games) get to me. But obviously, I’d be lying to say if it didn’t feel different. I mean, this probably already includes the most games I’ve won in any year I had at Stanford. But at the same time, I’ve just got to like — we can’t be satisfied with that, obviously. It’s a different program, it’s a different community, a new team — It’s a new week, every week, just got to keep stacking wins and just keep going.”
Michigan football prepper for first Big Ten road game of the season
This weekend, Drake Nugent and the Michigan football offense have their work cut out for them as the Wolverines take on the nation’s No. 1 rushing defense. In two days, Michigan hits the road for the first time this season, taking on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in one of the most daunting stadiums the Big Ten has to offer.
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