A History of Michigan Prospects and Ohio State Football

Ohio State fans are well aware how much Michigan football needs the state of Ohio to prosper. Benny Friedman, an outstanding quarterback and arguably the first "great" passer in college football, went to Michigan from Cleveland's Glenville High School in 1923. The iconic coach who coined the term "Michigan Man" (and won exactly zero national championships), Bo Schembechler, was from Barberton. Two of Michigan's three Heisman winners—Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson—were from Cleveland and Fremont.

This is not confined to Michigan's distant past either. Twenty-two players on the roster came to Michigan from Ohio, a fact that will be repeated through Saturday's broadcast. After all, a "Michigan Man" is little more than an apostate Ohioan, a fact that Brady Hoke essentially confirmed when he took the head coaching job in 2011.

What about the Michigan expats to whom Ohio State provided sanctuary from life in the Wolverine State? It's easy to forget that Michigan has served Ohio State football well when Michigan needs Ohio talent more than Ohio State needs players from Michigan.

Below, we compiled a list of every recruit from Michigan that signed with Ohio State from high school. Where possible, we provide a summary of what that player provided to the rich history of Ohio State football.

We thank these noble men from the "Mitten" who took sanctuary in Columbus after high school for their contributions to Ohio State's rich football lore.