Scholar Stories: Rolder Showing Growth on Gridiron, in Academic Pursuits
10/1/2025 10:00:00 AM | Football
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each week MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories.
By Jonathan Franchi
Being a student at the University of Michigan is no easy task. As one of the top public institutions in the world, the academic standards are held to a different level. Similar to the elite status of the academics, the Michigan football program is elite in its own regard, the winningest football program of all time. Combine the two, and you have a student who is able to grow in several different ways and utilize the superior resources that the university has to offer. As a student in the prestigious Ross School of Business, senior linebacker Jimmy Rolder has seen the value of these programs firsthand.
Hailing from Orland Park, Ill., Rolder developed into an elite two-sport athlete. During his sophomore year, the COVID-19 pandemic began, and with uncertainty around his future football seasons, Rolder committed to play baseball at Illinois. Once he got to his senior year, Rolder finally got his first football offer. U-M was his third offer, and the rest is history.
"Michigan is just a great blend of academics and athletics," Rolder said. "When I visited, everyone was so welcoming, and it just felt like the right fit, and it's also my mom's favorite school."
The decision to attend Michigan has paid dividends for Rolder. The senior linebacker has been able to tap into the different resources that Michigan football has to offer to carve out a new career interest. Unsure of which area of business to pursue coming into college, Rolder has been able to explore internships in different business sectors through Michigan football's MPower initiative. Rolder has completed multiple summer internships in wealth management and real estate and has become particularly interested in real estate investments after his experience with Princeton Enterprises.
"I learned a lot from the day-to-day activities, seeing how everything works and how everything's pieced together," he said. "It was pretty cool to see, and there's a team environment in that firm, similar to football. In the facility, you have coaches, everyone on staff, players, and everyone is working together, and you can see that in the business side, too."
Seeing the similarities between the real estate business and football has been similar to his experience in the Ross School of Business and the Michigan football program. Balancing those two sides of his life has not been easy, but Rolder has worked hard to create the time needed to excel in both areas. One thing that he has found essential in each: communication.
"Communication is huge in terms of football because you have to talk to everyone out there on the field and make sure everyone's on the same page," Rolder said. "And then on the school side with Ross, there's a lot of group work, and being able to talk to your group if anything's wrong or if you're not going to be there, just being able to communicate that has been super important for success."
Preparing for both football and academics has been another thing for Rolder, citing correlations in each. Playing in a defense led by Wink Martindale, who has loads of NFL experience, requires constant studying and repetition, and Rolder uses a similar approach for studying his defensive schemes that he does in the classroom.
"With both, it's important to be as detailed as possible and to look at all the small things. And, you know, not doing it until you get it right, but doing it until you can't get it wrong, like that kind of thing. And just practicing with more repetitions, I have found, is the best way to learn."
Ultimately, academics have played a large role in Rolder's career at Michigan, helping him gain real-world experience and skills that he can carry with him forever. His efforts in the classroom have resulted in him being a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. The Illinois native plans on pursuing an NFL career after his senior year, but the knowledge he has gained from the Ross School of Business will benefit him down the road.
"Being in the Ross School of Business has taught me so much about the real world outside of football, and I think it's done a great job of setting me up for life after football. I think those have been valuable lessons for me."
Rolder has enjoyed a rewarding career on the gridiron as well, having his role expand on defense each season. Having started the past three games this season, Rolder accumulated six tackles in both the Oklahoma and Central Michigan games, and added five tackles -- including a sack -- in the win at Nebraska.
Having put in a lot of hard work over the past three years, it has been a fulfilling feeling for Rolder to now become a defensive starter, as his effort has earned the trust of his coaches.
"I like to think of myself as a Michigan Man through and through, and I love this place. I loved it ever since I stepped on campus for the first time," he said. "I waited my turn, sat behind some good linebackers that played here, and it's just been awesome being out there starting games now; it felt like a dream."
The impactful performances on the field and in the classroom are one aspect, but Rolder has experienced overall growth as a person during his journey at Michigan. Through his hard work and discipline, he has shaped himself and truly turned himself into a Michigan Man. When reflecting on his personal growth from a young freshman to now a starting senior linebacker, Rolder said, "I think the biggest difference would be the mental growth and just developing a mindset of 'No one cares, work harder.'
"The blue collar mentality has been instilled in us since I got here with Coach Harbaugh and now Coach (Sherrone) Moore, and the future favors those who press on, so hard work should get you wherever you want to go. I live by that now, and I think I just take everything as a learning experience and a chance to get better from it, and that's ultimately been helping me greatly as I continue my career."
Rolder's journey reflects one of diligence and personal growth. He has been able to evolve into a starting role on a stout Michigan defense and has developed a new career interest in real estate investment. For a university that demands maximum effort and the best out of its students, Rolder has been able to get the most out of two elite programs. Taking advantage of what Michigan has to offer, Rolder has embarked on life-changing experiences, converting himself into a true Michigan Man.
