ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- There's always a question of transition when a player goes from the lower level of college football to not only Division I in the FBS, but especially to the Power Four. But each and every year, now that the transfer portal is a thing, we see players excel once they get to the next level.
For Nathaniel Staehling, the former North Dakota State linebacker, he always knew that he could make the move to the next level in order to chase his dream of playing in the NFL.
The former do-it-all player in high school -- who played quarterback, running back, safety, kicker, and punter -- had to learn how to play linebacker while in college. But once he got that down -- he finished last season with 75 tackles and 1.5 sacks -- he knew his
skills would transition to the next level.
"I'm confident in myself, confident in my ability. I knew that I could play here," Staehling said. "I'm just ready to showcase that every day. Why did you feel like this was the right move at this point? I thought it was the best decision I could have made for myself to get my goals and achieve the things that I wanted to achieve."
Now Staehling is one of the hypebeasts of fall camp, expected at least to be a big part of the rotation, if not an outright starter. He got a little bit of a late jump, as he was nursing a shoulder injury he sustained at his prior school, thus precluding him from spring ball.
But once fall camp started, he realized, OK, yes -- he could play at the next level.
"Probably that first practice, to be honest, when I got out there," Staehling said. "I mean, I could watch it during spring ball and think what I think. But as soon as you get out there and play for yourself, it's like riding a bike."
Ultimately, he's very happy with his decision to transfer to the Wolverines. For him, it's the people who have made the transition the easiest, and he's very thankful that he's gotten the opportunity to showcase his abilities on a higher plane.
"It's been great. There's a lot of great people here," Staehling said. "And they've made it easy. A lot of people think the transition football-wise would be crazy. It hasn't been for me. I don't know if that says something about my skill set. But people here have been great, and it hasn't been too bad. And I honestly love it here. So when you're passionate about something, it makes it a lot easier."
Fans will get the chance to see Staehling in action for the first time on September 5, when Michigan football hosts Western Michigan for the 2026 season opener at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Nathaniel Staehling confident he belongs at Michigan football
