Michigan football: Former center Olu Oluwatimi has an incredible underdog story

The 2023 NFL Draft concluded over the weekend, and the Michigan football program made an impressive showing with a total of nine draft picks, the highest in the Big Ten and the third-highest in college football, trailing only behind Alabama and Georgia. One of the Wolverines, center Olu Oluwatimi, stood out among the draft picks. His selection by the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks should have been unexpected given that he was a 2-star recruit in high school, though it was not given his impressive college resume. Despite facing many odds and adversities, Oluwatimi persevered and fought his way to success.

Former Michigan football center Olu Oluwatimi is the perfect underdog story

In the 2023 NFL Draft’s fifth round, the Seattle Seahawks addressed their need for an interior offensive lineman by selecting Olu Olwaitimi, the most accomplished offensive lineman in Michigan football history. Although Olu spent only one season with the Wolverines after transferring from Virginia, he made a significant impact by breaking records and achieving extraordinary feats.

As a Michigan Wolverine, Olu accomplished things that no other lineman had achieved in the Maize and Blue before. He led the Wolverines to college football’s first-ever back-to-back Joe Moore Awards, recognizing the nation’s top offensive line. Additionally, he was an All-Big Ten selection, an All-American, and a Big Ten Champion, and won both the Rimington Award (best center) and the Outland Trophy (best interior offensive lineman). Moreover, Olu helped Michigan football achieve new heights by clinching a program-best of 13 victories in a single season.

As a high school recruit, Olu was a 2-star recruit and not even ranked in the top 3,000 recruits in the nation, listed as the No. 3,300 overall recruit and the No. 160 offensive guard in the 2017 recruiting class. His best offers were from East Carolina and Air Force; after eventually enrolling at UVA, Olu searched for a better opportunity and ended up finding a brand new home with Michigan football. Despite falling short of a national title appearance by one game, Oluwatimi emerged as the most distinguished offensive lineman to ever play at the University of Michigan. Now, he has his chance to showcase his talent at the pro level with Seattle, and we expect him to excel in the big leagues.

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