Ohio State running back Mike Weber
Mike Weber will always be in that unusual position.
Now a sophomore running back at Ohio State, he’s one of the few players who was committed to the Michigan at one time, but eventually ended up at the archrival.
Between that and the intense recruiting battle for him even on National Signing Day morning in 2015, Weber will always be a focal point of the rivalry.
But as the former Cass Tech star was messing with Michigan fullback Khalid Hill on Friday, he reminded that the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is on the field, not dominating their lives.
“We don’t talk about it at all,” Weber said last week, where he was helping coach at the Sound Mind Sound Body camp. “We know each other way before it and will know each other way after. The rivalry is big, of course, and we don’t block it. But when it comes to being around each other, it’s playing video games, laughing, talking about other things.”
Weber is working out with his teammates in Columbus most of the summer but felt it was important to get back to Detroit for the camp.
He remembers being a camper and Sound Mind Sound Body was one of the first times the Ohio State coaches took a deep interest in him — and he noticed them as well.
Soon after Urban Meyer took over at Ohio State, he made the previously local camp a priority and has since grabbed some of the state of Michigan’s top prospects (Weber, Josh Alabi, Damon Webb, Michael Jordan.)
Michigan alumni of Sound Mind Sound Body pleased to chip in as coaches
“It’s fair for guys from Ohio State and different states to come up here,” Weber said. “It gives the city more exposure when there are more variety and choices of schools to come up here and see what this camp really means.
“They’ve been recruiting me since then, probably right beforehand, and I know coach Meyer, he knows me from the Sound Mind Sound Body camp and everything happens for a reason. This camp is really big.”
Weber went to Ohio State knowing he would be sitting behind Heisman Trophy contender Ezekiel Elliott but his freshman year still was rocky.
After tearing his meniscus during fall camp, it was never smooth.
“I got a scope and got back kind of fast,” he said. “But by the time I got back I was out of sync, out of shape and I just sat out and watched behind Zeke and the older guys and it turned out good anyway.”
With Elliott off to the NFL, Weber impressed this spring, rushing eight times for 38 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game.
He is expected to battle senior Brionte Dunn for carries.
“I feel like I got a lot better this spring with my teammates,” Weber said. “We still have a lot of work to do looking forward to the season.”
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