Michigan football fans have had plenty to celebrate against Ohio State over the years, but that hasn’t stopped a few Buckeyes from becoming instant villains in Ann Arbor. Some players just seem built for “The Game,” and these three names still land hard with Wolverines fans.
At No. 3 is J.T. Barrett, who went 4-0 as a starter against Michigan football.
He was knocked out of two of those games because of injury, but the moment that sticks with Michigan fans is the 2016 showdown, when Barrett came up short on a fourth down. Replay was inconclusive, the play stood as a first down, and many Wolverines fans still believe the call should have gone the other way.
No. 2 is Troy Smith, and there’s no shortage of reasons Michigan fans would put him on the list. He led Ohio State to wins over Michigan in 2004, 2005 and 2006, including a 2004 game in which the Wolverines were a seven-point favorite.
That year, Michigan entered The Game undefeated in Big Ten play with Braylon Edwards and freshman quarterback Chade Henne, but Smith took over with 241 passing yards and 145 rushing yards. He was 3-0 against Michigan overall, helped Ohio State rally from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit in 2005, and then guided the Buckeyes to a win in the No. 1 vs No. 2 game in 2006.
At No. 1 is Maurice Clarett, whose place on this list goes beyond what he did on the field. Ohio State’s first national championship of the century came during a 2002 season tied to improper benefits involving Clarett.
The Ohio State athletic director at the time admitted that after Clarett was suspended for the 2003 season, and he never played again for the Buckeyes. Ohio PBS reported in 2003, "Geiger said Clarett received some of the gifts during last year's championship season.
But because Geiger maintains coaches and administrators did not know it, all of last year's wins and national championship are safe for now," Clarett later told ESPN that Tressel and other Ohio State staff members, along with boosters, gave him improper benefits, and he said he "took the fall" with the NCAA because he didn’t want to take down "half the team."
ESPN also reported in 2004, "According to Clarett, Tressel arranged loaner cars for him and Tressel's brother, Dick, found him lucrative landscaping jobs that he did not even have to show up for. He says members of Tressel's staff also introduced him to boosters who'd slip him thousands of dollars, and the better he played, the more cash he'd receive. He says boosters eventually began inviting him into their homes or would meet him out in the community," Clarett played in just one game against Michigan, but he rushed for more than 100 yards and caught a key pass that helped set up the game-winning touchdown drive in Ohio State’s 14-9 win.
For Michigan fans, that’s more than enough to make Clarett one of the most hated Buckeyes of all.
In Other News...
Michigan Recruiting Momentum Suddenly Includes A Familiar Name
Michigans 2028 recruiting board is starting to take on a familiar shape, and it comes with a name Wolverines fans already know well. Carson Graham, the younger brother of former Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, is among the prospects looking at Ann Arbor, while four-star backs Cartae Ligon and Xander Edwards are also showing real interest as the Wolverines continue building relationships early in the cycle.
For Michigan, the appeal is obvious: a family connection in Grahams case, and established ties with running backs coach Tony Alford for both Ligon and Edwards. Ligon has long had Michigan near the top of his list because of that relationship, and Edwards is set to see the program in person this fall after earning an offer and lining up a game visit, giving the staff a chance to keep momentum going with a pair of highly regarded backs. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Cannot Let This 2028 Receiver Slip Further South
Michigan has a familiar angle in the chase for Jarvis Stevenson, and it is one that can matter with a prospect this early in the process. The 6-foot-5 dual-sport athlete out of John Curtis Christian School in New Orleans has roots in Grand Rapids, giving the Wolverines a built-in hometown connection as they try to keep him from drifting deeper into SEC territory. Michigan identified him early and put a scholarship on the table while he was still beginning to build his profile, which at least gives the Wolverines a foothold in a recruitment that already has plenty of national attention.
The challenge now is holding that position against the usual heavyweight crowd. LSU, Auburn, Florida, Arkansas and Alabama are all in the mix, and for Michigan the pitch has to be about more than geography alone. The Wolverines will need to lean into how Stevenson could fit their offense and why Ann Arbor offers a different path than the one being laid out by the schools farther south, because once a receiver with his size and upside becomes a priority for that many programs, the race tends to move quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan May Be Building Something Dangerous In Ohio
Michigans new staff under Kyle Whittingham is wasting little time treating Ohio like a priority territory, and the early signs suggest the Wolverines want more than just the occasional border-state win. With coaches who know the state well, Michigan has started leaning into relationships there and has already added four-star cornerback Monsanna Torbert in the 2027 class while staying active with a growing list of younger prospects.
The next wave could matter even more. Michigan is in the mix for Ohio talent such as Asa Burch in the 2028 class, and four-star running back Carte Ligon is expected back in Ann Arbor for a Gameday visit this fall after seeing campus once already this spring. For a program trying to build something lasting, the real question is whether this is a one-off burst of momentum or the start of a pipeline that keeps sending Ohio prospects north. [Read more 🡒]