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Former Michigan teammates Jeremy Gallon (21) and Devin Gardner will team up again in this season as pro football players in Japan.

(Courtney Sacco | MLive.com)

Devin Gardner and Jeremy Gallon are together again.

In Japan.

The former Michigan teammates have signed to play for the Nojima Sagamihara Rise of Japan's "semi-pro X-League" this season. The team is based in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa, Japan -- roughly 6,400 miles from Ann Arbor.

Per the Japan Times, Gardner and Gallon will begin their Japanese football careers Aug. 28.

"I thought it was kind of a great experience for me, because I've never actually been out of the country, out of the U.S. So I mean, why not get a chance to be a part of something special," Gardner told the paper.

Added Gallon: "I have my family, I have a 1-year-old son that I love that I hated to leave to come here. But it was a decision that we made as a family. And just to play football again and to reconnect with Devin, and to have an experience to come here and build new friendships and learn new things about the culture here, I just feel like it would've been a crazy thing not to come here and experience that."

Gallon -- who set Michigan's single-season record for receiving yards in a season (1,373) in 2013 -- was drafted in the seventh round by the New England Patriots in the 2014 draft, but was promptly released.

The 5-foot-8 receiver had several more NFL tryouts before signing with the Brooklyn Bolts of the Fall Experimental Football League in 2014. After signing a futures deal with the Raiders, Gallon had stints in the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League before opting to take a shot in Japan this season.

Gardner, meanwhile, had short free agent deals as a wide receiver with the Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015 before taking his shot overseas this year. He'll wear No. 98 this season for the Rise.

Founded in 1971 as the Japan American Football League, the current version of the "X-League" features 18 teams across three divisions -- with all clubs competing for the Japan X Bowl championship.

Close friends throughout their Michigan careers, Gardner and Gallon combined for a record-breaking day for the Wolverines in 2013 -- with Gallon catching 14 passes for a Big Ten-record 369 yards and two touchdowns against Indiana. Gardner threw for 503 yards in that game, which is a Michigan record.