Justin Boren

The one guy everybody seems to be talking about this week is Ohio State left guard Justin Boren – everybody but Boren, that is.

Boren, a native of nearby Pickerington, Ohio, is in his first year as a player for the Buckeyes after transferring in from Michigan in the spring of 2008. Boren left Michigan after two seasons following the coaching change that saw Rich Rodriguez replace Lloyd Carr. On his way out, Boren was somewhat outspoken that he saw a lack of family values in the new regime.

Eighteen months have passed since that time and now Boren will join the Buckeyes as they head up to Ann Arbor on Saturday to face Michigan. Boren was not made available to reporters this week as the Buckeyes prepared for The Game.

But that did not stop any number of people from discussing the oddity of a former Michigan player – Boren started the 2007 as a center and guard for UM – suiting up for Ohio State and against Michigan.

“(Boren) was just somebody who shouldn’t have been here in the first place, but that is over and done with,” said UM defensive end Brandon Graham. “Justin, we will see him Saturday. He’s going to have to prove to me that he’s still got it. He was good here, but I don’t think that he’s that good there because he’s O-State and he really is from here.”

Graham was asked about what he recalled from Boren’s messy departure.

“You kind of knew that something that was going to happen,” Graham said. “He just didn’t feel like he needed to be here no more. A lot of people leave because it is just their situation. I don’t know, I just like spicing it up because he left and went to O-State. Like you could have gone anywhere else but you went to Ohio State.

“That was just like a slap in the face but at the same time you not worried about it. That’s just another player lost. We just got to get the next one ready.”

Graham said Boren’s comments about “family values” were unnecessary.

“That was just an excuse on why he wanted to leave,” he said. “He took that on himself. He didn’t give them a chance when they got here. He didn’t really know. He was just so used to the Coach Carr era, he didn’t want to get used to nothing else.”

It will be interesting to see how Boren is received by Michigan players and fans alike. OSU coach Jim Tressel said he thinks Boren can handle it.

“Justin's the kind of guy that focuses hard on what he has to do,” Tressel said. “He was fighting a couple weeks there in the middle of the season when he was banged up and when you don't practice, you just don't perform like you would like to. Fortunately he's healthy and, I thought, played one of his better games Saturday.

“I'm sure he'll be excited. I'm sure it will be difficult in some ways because he has great feelings for both teams that are going to be on the field and a lot of great memories up in The Big House with his dad and himself and all the rest, but his focus will be on what can he do to help his team.”

Boren’s teammates said they have discussed this game with him. They are eager to make it a positive experience for Boren.

“We’ve already talked about it a little bit,” said OSU tight end Jake Ballard. “Justin can’t wait to get up there and get after them. He’s excited for it. He’s been waiting for it for a long time.

“Justin is our family. We want to go up there and take care of business. We want to give him a memory he won’t ever forget.”

Safety Anderson Russell was asked how he might feel if Michigan was coming to OSU with a former OSU guy on the roster.

“We’d definitely want to get after him,” Russell said. “I’m sure they feel the same way. They’ll probably be sending some of their linemen after him. We’ll see what happens. It will be interesting.

Defensive end Lawrence Wilson said he still shakes his head when he thinks about a Michigan man – even one originally from the Columbus area like Boren – transferring to Ohio State.

“At first I didn’t believe it because Michigan guys … you know, Michigan and Ohio State, I didn’t think anybody would do that,” Wilson said. “But when he got here and I saw him, I was like, ‘Wow, this is pretty interesting.’ And then when I saw what kind of player he is – he’s a really good player – so I was excited.

“Once he came, we embraced him. He was a Buckeye now and we can’t hold any of that past stuff against him. He wants to be here and he’s a Buckeye, so we embraced him.”

Linebacker Austin Spitler added, "When he came here, everybody always had the questions like, what is it all about up there? Is it any different? We asked him about different players adn the coaches. We learned about all of that when he first got here. Nobody asked him anything else. It's not like he has the schemes, after all. He left when RichRod got there.”

Safety Kurt Coleman said Boren has extra incentive – he is the only current Buckeye who has been on the losing side in The Game.

“Not only has he lost in this rivalry, but it was on the other side,” Coleman said. “He’s going to have a lot of internal things going on through him for this game and I think it’s going to be a motivation for him to play. He’s usually an animal out there with his mindset. I think this is going to be a totally different game because he came over here for a reason. It should be a heated thing for him to watch. I would like to watch him throughout the game.

“Justin’s a big guy. He can shoulder a lot of weight. He’s a part of us. What he’s going through we’re all going through. I don’t see anyone taking a cheap shot at him or anything, but I think people that played with him, I think they’re definitely going to try to come after him. But we have people to back him up. That’s what this team is about. We’re a brotherhood. We’re a family. We’ll protect one another.”

Offensive lineman Jimmy Cordle is close with Boren now. It wasn’t always that way, he said.

“He’s one of my best friends now, but back in the day when he was at Pickerington and I was at Lancaster and things like that,” Cordle said. “When I was a freshman he came in during one of our meetings (on a recruiting visit) and he just fell asleep. This big meatball just comes in and falls asleep. I was like, ‘OK, just go to Michigan.’ ”

According to Cordle, Boren had his reasons for transferring home to play at OSU.

“Some people here said some negative things, but I knew he wanted to be here, and he obviously explained to us that there was a lot of things that he couldn’t control that forced him to go to Michigan,” Cordle said. “He wasn’t happy and wanted to come home. He was telling us that he drove home every weekend. So obviously we were excited to pick up a great player, not just because we stole one from Michigan, but we knew he was a Buckeye.”

Cordle was asked what Boren has brought to the table for the Buckeyes.

“He’s brought a big body that is strong,” Cordle said. “He’s brought us some intensity and he’s done a good job. The last two weeks he’s kind of yelled and things like that. Usually he’s just quiet and does his job and goes on and doesn’t say much, but now he has stepped up.”

Defensive tackle Doug Worthington recalls going against Boren in the 2007 game, which OSU won 14-3 in Ann Arbor.

“We battled a lot and he actually got me a few times and I got him a few times,” Worthington said. “He kept coming and that’s the type of guy he's always been. Just having him on your side is always good. We got one of their best offensive linemen and I’m just happy to have him on our sideline.

“It’ll be huge for him and I know he cares about his seniors and Jimmy on the offensive line and he wants to get it done. I'm not worried about them as far as doing anything cheap because they’ll have to answer to some big guys.”