Harbaugh ‘excited to watch’ Rudock compete at Michigan

IOWA CITY - New Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh said competition and academics are at the root of why quarterback Jake Rudock elected to transfer to his football program from Big Ten Conference foe Iowa this off-season.

Speaking about Rudock publicly for the first time, Harbaugh said the fifth-year senior will compete with holdover Shane Morris for the Wolverines' starting quarterback job. Rudock will graduate this spring from Iowa and become immediately eligible this fall for Michigan.

'I expect there to be very good competition,” Harbaugh said of Rudock, 'an experienced player who is hungry to compete. I think it'd be good for him ... first of all, it's very good for him academically, and I think it's very good for him athletically in terms of the opportunity to compete for a role, whether that be a starting role; I know that's where his goals are aligned. I'm excited to watch it go down.”

Rudock started 25 games at quarterback for the Hawkeyes the last two seasons, completing 417 of 691 passes for 4,819 yards and 34 touchdowns. Both his career yardage and touchdown totals rank eighth in school history. He was 14-11 under center and started two bowl games at Iowa. Rudock passed for 2,436 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions last year, and his 61.7 completion percentage ranked second among Big Ten quarterbacks.

Rudock split snaps with C.J. Beathard through much of last season, including Iowa's 45-28 loss to Tennessee in the TaxSlayer Bowl, Beathard played most of the game, directing the team on nine of 14 possessions. Beathard completed 13 of 23 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 82 yards.

Less than a week after the bowl, Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz announced a new depth chart that elevated Beathard into the starting quarterback slot ahead of Rudock. Beathard will be a junior this fall.

Whispers about Rudock's potential transfer began almost immediately. Rudock visited Ann Arbor last month and the Big Ten's academics and eligibility subcommittee approved his pending transfer on April 1. Michigan officials confirmed Rudock's upcoming enrollment on April 9. Rudock will pursue a master's degree in movement science at Michigan.

Harbaugh said he did not personally contact Iowa officials about Rudock, 'but the university did, yes.” When asked if Rudock relayed to him that he didn't receive an opportunity to compete for the starting job at Iowa, Harbaugh said, 'no, he did not relay that.”

As for what stood about Rudock, Harbaugh said, 'The same things that I think all of us saw.”

Rudock is one of two football graduate transfers enrolling at Michigan this fall.

'There was an opportunity and there was mutual interest to do it for our program and with the specific youngsters so we did it,” Harbaugh said.

Iowa and Michigan are not scheduled to play this year. The teams' next game is slated for Nov. 12, 2016 at Kinnick Stadium.

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