Michigan football awards roundup: Olu Oluwatimi wins pair, Blake Corum, Jake Moody snubbed
Michigan football had some representation at Thursday night’s College Football Awards, which was headlined by graduate center Olu Oluwatimi. He walked out of the night with the Rimington Award for the nation’s best center and the Outland Trophy for the country’s best interior offensive lineman. Oluwatimi is the first Michigan player ever to win the Outland.
For Oluwatimi, it is a long time coming. He was a Rimington semifinalist last season at Virginia but lost out to Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum. Oluwatimi came to Michigan for a chance to take his game to the next level and has surpassed all expectations. The nation valued his play more than Big Ten voters, who voted him 2nd-team All-Big Ten during all-conference awards last week.
After arriving in Ann Arbor last winter, Oluwatimi learned the playbook before spring ball even started. This allowed him to slide right in and anchor the interior of Michigan’s offensive line, a job he never ceded any ground throughout the offseason. This help him earn an alternate captain nod from his teammates, a role that increase when captains Cade McNamara and Erick All went down with injuries this season.
Oluwatimi has been a stalwart of the Michigan offensive line, starting all 13 games for the Wolverines. According to Pro Football Focus, he has not allowed a single sack in pass protection while also proving himself to be a road grader.
Michigan fans have embraced Oluwatimi and the offensive line as the heartbeat of the program. Last year’s Joe Moore Award-winning unit could repeat this season. Oluwatimi and others have shown appreciation for the love they have gotten this season.
“We love that,” Oluwatimi said earlier this season. “Offense line is not really a position where you get a lot of love. But here at the University of Michigan, from the coaching staff and from the players — and I think even the media — I think they show love to the O-line here. It feels good when you’re loved. So we’ll take all the love.”
Michigan RB Corum snubbed from Doak Walker Award
Junior running back Blake Corum was one of the players in the running for the Doak Walker Award, which goes to the nation’s top running back. However, that honor went to Texas’ Bijan Robinson, who ran for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. Corum, who missed the final 2.5 games, finished the year 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Michigan kicker Jake Moody was up for the Lou Groza Award, which he won last year. Unfortunately, he lost out to NC State’s Christopher Dunn.
Next up for Michigan on the field is a Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal on Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. ET vs. TCU. The winner will get either Georgia or Ohio State in the national championship game on Jan. 9 in Inglewood, California.
