Life after football was about to start for Rocco Milia.

He graduated from Columbia in May and had thrown his name in the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, but knew major offers may not come. So as the college football season approached, Milia was mulling a job offer in New York City that would have started this month.

That is when a roster spot opened at Michigan, and the Wolverine off-field staff remembered Milia had gone into the portal.

Milia played in-state at Brother Rice in Bloomfield Hills and he is a three generation Wolverine. His father, Dr. Marc Milia, played at Michigan starting in the late 80s, and grandfather Donald Kolcheff played for the Wolverines in the 50’s.

So when general manager Sean McGee reached out, it was not a difficult decision. Work could wait another football season. That call came late last week and by the weekend, Milia was committed, signed, and ready to roll.

Milia had 114 tackles (9.5 for loss), a sack and four interceptions in his Columbia career. His senior season included a win over Yale, an important one to him since Columbia had not beaten Yale the previous four tries, and the Bulldogs had passed on him in the recruiting process. That was as a receiver. At 195 pounds coming out of Rice, schools were considering him on both sides of the ball.

“He got recruited at both receiver and safety,” said Adam Korzniewski, who coached Milia at Brother Rice. “Columbia went on him and converted him to an outside linebacker. They moved him to the second level pretty quickly.”

And Milia caught on quickly.

Now 225 pounds, he joins a Michigan linebacker room that is full of standouts. But he will find ways to help the team from providing depth to special teams and wherever else he is pressed into service.

“The senior year he put together was an unbelievable year,” Korzniewski said. “He is highly intelligent. He understood the game and has great anticipation. He understands pattern recognition. He is athletic and coordinated with the way his body moves with his feet, hands and eyes all together.”

Michigan offered a preferred walk-on to Milia out of high school. 

When he went to Columbia, it seemed the idea of being the next member of the family to wear the winged helmet was finished.

It wasn’t.

Rocco Milia will run out in front of Michigan Stadium and touch the banner for the first time on August 30th when the Wolverines open at home against New Mexico.

His football career has been granted 12 more games. After that, New York City will still be there.