'Fruits of Labor' Pay Off For Seahawks C Olu Oluwatimi

Thrown into the Seahawks lineup after Connor Williams abruptly retired, Olu Oluwatimi impressed in every way against the 49ers, providing optimism in the trenches.

Oct 22, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks center Olu Oluwatimi (51) during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - Once expected to take over as the Seattle Seahawks new starting center back in the spring, Olu Oluwatimi easily could have been bitter when the team went out and signed veteran Connor Williams midway through training camp in August.

After all, in a matter of weeks, Oluwatimi had gone from taking the majority of Seattle's first-team reps ahead of Nick Harris to suddenly being out of a starting job. Such a turn of events had to be difficult to stomach for a young player who performed well in limited action as a rookie last season and had spent the entire offseason building chemistry with an offensive line featuring two new starters as the primary communicator at the pivot position.

But instead of becoming splenetic about his situation, Oluwatimi used the demotion as an opportunity to improve himself, learning what he could from Williams and attacking his deficiencies behind the scenes while waiting in the wings. When Williams abruptly retired following the bye week, the second-year blocker was more than ready for his second chance, plugging back into the lineup seamlessly to help the Seahawks earn a hard-fought 20-17 win over the 49ers on Sunday.

"I think we've all seen enough of Olu that we weren't surprised that he went out there and played well, and know the things that Olu has excelled at since we've been here," Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said on Thursday. "He's improved a lot. I think he took a lot of ownership when Connor came in and got the job. There was honestly a reflective time for Olu where he dug in and looked in like, ‘Okay, what are the things I’ve got to get better at as a player to be a starting center in the NFL? And I think you saw the fruits of that labor over the last couple months."

Drafted in the fifth round out of MIchigan in 2023 after winning the Rimington Award as the nation's best center, Oluwatimi spent most of his first season with the Seahawks learning as an understudy to veteran Evan Brown, receiving a single start in a win against the Cardinals. Playing 128 total offensive snaps, he shined in pass protection, allowing just one pressure in the four games where he saw playing time on offense.

After Brown left to join Arizona in free agency in March, the starting job looked to be gift wrapped for Oluwatimi, especially after Harris was traded to Cleveland only two weeks into training camp. But Seattle's new coaching staff, including Grubb and offensive line coach Scott Huff, clearly felt he wasn't quite ready for the gig, which led to the decision to bring Williams on board despite the veteran coming off a significant knee injury.

With Williams healthy enough to start for the Seahawks in Week 1, Oluwatimi faced more than his share of adversity in the first couple months of the season. Due to injuries at tackle, including veteran George Fant landing on injured reserve and Abraham Lucas recovering on the PUP list, undrafted rookie Jalen Sundell received the nod to dress as the backup center thanks to his versatility, rendering Oluwatimi inactive as a healthy scratch for four games in September and October.

But starting in Week 8 against Buffalo, Oluwatimi started to see some work at guard during pre-game warmups and checked into the lineup as an eligible sixth offensive lineman for a handful of snaps, a sign that he had been making positive progress behind the scenes. While Williams' retirement came as a shock and wasn't ideal, Grubb, Huff, and the rest of the staff had plenty of confidence in the former All-American filling the void based on what they had seen on the practice field.

When asked on Thursday about where he had seen Oluwatimi improve over the past few months, Grubb pointed to the technical side of his game and simply playing with greater urgency and physicality up front.

"Just the attack mentality," Grubb responded. "The intelligence piece has always been there. He's a really smart player. I think he worked on his base and his second step, and hand placement, all the little things that can get you beat on the inside. Everything that was showing up in camp that we addressed with Olu, I think he attacked every one of those things."

That growing confidence from Grubb and the rest of Seattle's offensive staff proved to be warranted on Sunday, as Oluwatimi took back the reins without a hitch, smoothly handling line calls in the trenches and excelling both as a pass protector and a run blocker.

On the first play from scrimmage, Oluwatimi cooked up a pancake block that allowed running back Ken Walker III to cut back off his backside for a six-yard gain, and he later drove a defender several yards off the ball on a successful quarterback sneak by Geno Smith. Handling San Francisco's bevy of twist stunts and games up front, he yielded just one pressure and no quarterback hits on 39 pass blocking snaps, posting a pristine 98.7 percent pass block efficiency rate.

Interestingly, while Smith did take four sacks on Sunday, with Oluwatimi and Lucas both back in the lineup for the first time this season, the Seahawks turned in one of their better overall games protecting the veteran quarterback. After allowing a whopping 23 pressures to the 49ers in Week 6, that number was nearly cut in half down to 13 in the rematch, which Grubb attributed in large part to the communication aspect from the center position.

"I thought Olu did a really nice job being able to step into that role and communicate effectively," Grubb said. "Kept them on the same page. I thought that was the biggest starting point. Olu certainly did a good job of that."

With Williams on the reserve/retired list, Oluwatimi will receive an extended audition for Seattle's long-term starting role at the pivot position for the remainder of the season. After handling an undermanned 49ers defensive front missing star Javon Hargrave, tougher matchups await for him in coming weeks, including facing defensive tackles Quinnen Williams of the Jets in Week 13 and Kenny Clark of the Packers in Week 15, and the Cardinals won't be easy on Sunday either.

Based on initial returns and his pedigree as a former Rimington and Outland Trophy award winner, however, the Seahawks should be in good hands with Oluwatimi taking over as the new conductor of the offensive line group. As he gains experience and builds chemistry with the rest of his line mates, his play should only improve by week, which has the potential to be a major difference maker in regard to the team's chances of contention in the NFC West with seven games left to play.

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