It appears that, if Jake Rudock wants to stay in the Big Ten, Iowa won’t stand in his way.
Earlier this month it was reported that Jake Rudock was looking to transfer from Iowa, with Michigan mentioned as the likely landing spot. The only problem, the thinking went, was that most couldn’t see Iowa releasing the quarterback to another Big Ten school.
That apparently won’t be the case, however, as 247Sports.com writes that “Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz will release transfer quarterback Jake Rudock to any school in the country including Michigan.” According to a tweet from Bruce Feldman of FOXSports.com, “Rudock is heading to Michigan for a visit in the next 36 [hours].”
In the same tweet, Feldman wrote that the player hopes to hear from the Big Ten in the next week regarding his eligibility. As a graduate transfer, Rudock would normally be eligible to play immediately, although moving within the conference doesn’t make it a lock. The fact that the Hawkeyes are granting him a full release, however, seemingly bodes well for his chances with the league.
247Sports also notes that Boise State remains in play, although all of the signs are pointing to Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines -- providing the Big Ten doesn’t force him to sit out a year, of course. The recruiting website states that “if Michigan does offer Rudock a spot on the roster that he will accept,” while “the Wolverines are expected to offer Rudock” at some point during his visit.
The past two seasons combined, Rudock has passed for nearly 5,000 yards, 34 touchdowns and 18 interceptions while completing roughly 60 percent of his passes. He added eight rushing touchdowns for good measure.
Rudock started all 25 games in which he played in 2013 and 2014. If he ends up with the Wolverines, he’d easily be the most experienced of a group of contenders that will include junior Shane Morris, redshirt freshman Wilton Speight and true freshmen Alex Malzone and Zach Gentry. Morris is the only one of that group with any experience at the collegiate level, starting two of the 10 games in which he played the past two years.