Nolan Rumler to the transfer portal

Submitted by Jimmyisgod on October 1st, 2021 at 10:08 AM

Darnit, was a major recruiting win who had potential.  I think him not cracking the rotation after 3 years on campus meant he just didn't develop.

rc15

October 1st, 2021 at 10:15 AM ^

Good luck to him, but this is one that's probably good for both parties. If he isn't cracking the 2-deep in his third season, the scholarship is probably better going to another recruit or transfer in a position of need. Transferring to a lower P5 or G5 team will probably give him the chance to play and develop.

stephenrjking

October 1st, 2021 at 12:16 PM ^

Harbaugh's roster management is one of my significant criticisms of him, but in this case (and others like it) this is the roster strategy working as it is designed. And, crucially, as is necessary to succeed in modern college football. 

Michigan recruits knowing that not every guy is going to develop as expected. They bring in big recruiting classes, each player providing another option to develop into a quality contributor. Some emerge as important players; others don't. In the past, the ones that don't just kind of stuck around. Subsequent recruiting classes would be smaller, providing fewer potential emerging players, spots taken by guys that didn't contribute much and often still couldn't play. 

Now guys go where they fit - a win for them - and the team gets more recruits, more chances to develop good players - obviously, a win for the team. This is most explicitly noticeable in Harbaugh's recruit-a-QB-every-year strategy, which plainly anticipates that some QBs will be multi-year starters while others will not make it and transfer. It was visible in a positive way with Charbonnet's transfer to UCLA, which happened because Michigan produced a lot of talent at one position. And it's visible here, where Michigan has a lot of depth on the OL. 

It's good for everyone. There are certain transfers that are problems and may bode poorly for the program, but many of them are nothing to worry about. This is one of the latter. 

Brainstorm93

October 1st, 2021 at 10:15 AM ^

You have to wonder why a kid would transfer away from a program that is running the ball as much as we are. Injuries happen, particularly on the offensive line. So you're not starting, you will eventually get your shot given the nature of the game. 

Perkis-Size Me

October 1st, 2021 at 11:03 AM ^

He's been here three years. Guys younger than him are getting opportunities to get on the field and he isn't. That's kind of the writing on the wall, isn't it? 

I don't blame him for leaving, and when I say that, I don't mean it as an indictment on the program or the coaching staff. If he thinks he's good enough to play, then he owes it to himself to go find somewhere that will afford him that opportunity. 

RoughRider

October 1st, 2021 at 3:09 PM ^

Week 4 is about to be a big transfer portal period in the future. You see that you are not where you want to be after 3 games and decide not to burn the year of eligibility. I can forsee as much as a 10-20% roster change. This will certainly increase the number of upsets by lower level schools in the future, as they build quality depth.

bhughes81

October 1st, 2021 at 11:03 AM ^

This may be one of the worst posts I've seen on here in a while (and that says a lot). It really shows the lack of understanding/intelligence on how this works. This isn't an NFL team where sitting on the bench is paying you enough money to make a career out of it. Its a 4 (sometimes 5) year job interview for one of the highest paying careers in the world. You're not impressing any future NFL bosses by sitting the entire 4 years on the bench. Seeing as he isn't talented enough to play at Michigan at the time of this posting (which is an entirely different subject we could talk about), transferring is the absolute best option for him. We've seen plenty of kids buried on teams' depth charts, never getting noticed by anyone, transfer to smaller schools and end up being mid-round draft picks (if not higher). So, I say good luck to the kid; he's make a wise choice to do what he needs to do for his future.

Wolverine 73

October 1st, 2021 at 10:21 AM ^

Damn, based on his high school record, I thought he would be a three year starter.  Obviously, that was not happening.  Wish him well, seemed like a good guy from what little I knew.

plaidflannel

October 1st, 2021 at 10:29 AM ^

The timing of this (right before our first away game of the season) makes me wonder if he was told he wasn't on the travel roster.  I can understand the desire to find playing time if you can't crack the two-deep after 3 years here.  Good luck to him.

Hail to the Vi…

October 1st, 2021 at 10:35 AM ^

Definitely wishing him luck. Despite him being a blue chip recruit, it's not overly concerning that he is deciding to transfer if he's not even on the current two deep. I think with Zinter being at his position in the class behind him, and also being our best offensive linemen there wasn't really a path to a starters role for him.

Hoping he finds a spot at a school outside of Michigan's schedule and gets a chance to show what he can do.