ALABASTER, AL — Players from Michigan and Ohio State playing together and sharing space on the same team is a rare sight. There is a fierce rivalry between the two schools in all of sports.
However, six members of the Wolverines, who were the national champions, are in the same scenario as two Buckeyes this week at the Senior Bowl.
Before Saturday’s game in Mobile (1 p.m. ET, NFL Network), the group of players who make up the National team have participated in meetings and two days of practice (with a third scheduled for Thursday).
Additionally, according to Michigan’s Jaylen Harrell, an edge rusher, everything went well on Monday after his arrival.
“Yeah, you know, I’ve been cool with Josh Proctor, the Ohio State safety,” Harrell said in a Wednesday interview with MLive. Josh Proctor approached me and said, “Now is the perfect time to break the ice.”
It seems that they did. Since then, according to Harrell, he and Proctor have maintained a cordial friendship characterised by mutual respect and aspirations for everyone to play in the NFL.
On the pitch, there is a lot of rivalry, but off the pitch, there is affection, according to Harrell. It’s not that huge, actually. Some portray it as some sort of bizarre phenomenon. Sure, on the pitch — but it’s simply catching up on ball off the pitch. It’s really not a head-butting situation at all.
Trevor Keegan, an offensive lineman for Michigan who never backs down from a conversation or a disagreement, concurred. He called Proctor and defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. of Ohio State, the other representative for the Senior Bowl, “cool dudes, man,” and they “made up.”
