Jake Rudock has clearance for Michigan transfer

IOWA CITY, Ia. – In order to transfer from Iowa to Michigan, quarterback Jake Rudock needed a Big Ten Conference waiver to approve him for immediate eligibility.

The Big Ten on Wednesday confirmed what Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman first reported, that Rudock was granted such a waiver, the biggest hurdle remaining in his path to becoming the Wolverines' starting quarterback in 2015.

Rudock's roommate, Iowa wrestler Brody Grothus, tweeted late Tuesday night that he was looking for a new roommate for next year with the hashtag #rudock. The Detroit News reported Wednesday morning that Rudock-to-Michigan was a done deal.

The Big Ten created its own rule for intraconference transfers that went into effect for the 2011-12 school year that requires increasingly common graduate-transfers — as Iowa quarterback Cody Sokol did a year ago with Louisiana Tech — to go through approval of a six-member subcommittee made up of member-institution representatives.

The spirit of the rule, Big Ten associate director for compliance Chad Hawley said, was to limit possible tension between member schools.

"The rule is in place for a reason," Hawley said. "There just has to be a sufficient comfort level in the cases that have been approved."

C.J. Beathard: 'I could do more things' than Jake Rudock

Last week, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz expressed a willingless to help Rudock — whom he named the team's No. 2 quarterback behind C.J. Beathard in January — find a happy landing spot. Ferentz said he had granted an open release for Rudock to transfer to any school and that the two-year starter was being kept outside the program while he explored transfer options.

Had Ferentz wanted to put up more of a fight with Rudock's wishes to transferring within the league, that would have been a factor weighed by the subcommittee.

Rudock will be a welcome addition to Michigan's murky quarterback situation under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. He probably becomes the front-runner to lead the Wolverines and would be a solid stopgap in Harbaugh's typical offensive systems that aim for ball control and limiting mistakes. Rudock threw for 2,436 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions a year ago in 11 starts for the Hawkeyes.

None of Michigan's other three immediate options can offer Big Ten readiness. Junior Shane Morris was unimpressive in five games last season. Redshirt freshman Wilton Speight comes highly acclaimed but is raw. Pro-style true freshman Alex Malzone is in camp but, well, a true freshman. Michigan also has incoming Houston transfer John O'Korn, but he has to sit out the 2015 season — making Rudock an appealing one-year fill-in.