All-American Oluwatimi joins UVA’s transfer party, commits to Michigan

By Jerry Ratcliffe

If anyone wonders just how good Virginia’s offensive line was this past season, they don’t have to go any further than the transfer portal to discover the evidence.

All-American center Olusegun Oluwatimi completed wiping out UVA’s line on Monday when he announced that he has transferred to Michigan. Oluwatimi joined left tackle Bobby Haskins, who transferred to Southern Cal on Sunday, and guard Joe Bissinger, who transferred to SMU earlier Monday. Also, UVA’s top linebacker and third-leading tackler Noah Taylor announced Monday that he has committed to North Carolina.

Oluwatimi, who visited Michigan a few weeks ago prior to Tony Elliott being named Virginia’s new head coach, was a second-team All-American and a Rimington Award finalist and one of the nation’s top centers. He chose Michigan over Clemson in the transfer process.

It was a good day for Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh, who lost starting center Andrew Vastardis to eligibility. Michigan became a run-dominant offense this past season, which led it to the College Football Playoffs.

Oluwatimi made the announcement on his Twitter account Monday night, with him wearing a Michigan jersey in a graphic designed by the Wolverines’ football program, adorned by the hashtag #GoBlue.

#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/eqPYvXtyzM

— Olu (@bigolu55) December 27, 2021

The 6-foot-3, 310-pound center started all 12 of Virginia’s games this past season and would have started the Fenway Bowl game against SMU this week, which was canceled due to Covid problems within the UVA program. Oluwatimi started the last 32 games for the Cavaliers. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Pro Football Focus graded the Virginia starter as the country’s second-best center in run-blocking, a huge attraction from Harbaugh’s Wolverines, which switched from a more open offense to a strong running attack this past season.

Originally from Hyattsville, Md., DeMatha Catholic, Oluwatimi began his career at the Air Force Academy but didn’t play in a game, as he transferred to Virginia and made an immediate impact.