Back at Pickerington (Ohio) North high school, it seemed remote.
But on Saturday, it will be reality: Michigan All-America tight end Jake Butt and Ohio State All-America offensive lineman Pat Elflein, high school teammates, will meet before The Game.
“I told him back in January when he got elected captain, I congratulated him,” Butt said this week. “We were both two-time captains for North in high school. I was like, ‘How cool would that be if we met at the 50-yard line before The Game (as captains)?’ And sure enough, that’s going to happen this week.”
The friendship that goes back to high school in Pickerington, a Columbus suburb, transcends Saturday’s battle between No.