How Jacoby Boren and family went from maize and blue to scarlet and gray

Nicole Auerbach | USA TODAY Sports

If he had to guess, Ohio State center Jacoby Boren would say he probably wore maize and blue the day he was born — his family loved the Wolverines that much. It’s just what happens when both your parents went to Michigan, even if you live, essentially, in Columbus.

The three Boren boys grew up this way, rooting for Michigan and playing competitive football, for much of their childhood. Their dad had played for Bo Schembechler, after all.

Nothing really changed until the oldest, Justin Boren, pulled a move that made him infamous for quite some time — he transferred from Michigan to Ohio State in March 2008 after Rich Rodriguez was hired as the Wolverines' coach.

Instantly, the Borens became Buckeyes. Zach Boren, the middle brother, decided he had to discard all his Michigan apparel. That was no small task, because he used to wear something with a block "M" on it every day.

“I threw out all my Michigan stuff and my mom took it to Goodwill,” Zach Boren said. “But I had one pair of Michigan shorts that wore all the time, and I actually kept them. I was like, ‘Mom, I have to keep the shorts.’ I wore them all the time. I still have them somewhere.”

Zach Boren laughed. It’s funny now. But at the time, it was actually kind of crazy. Justin’s decision made him a flashpoint in perhaps the nation’s most heated rivalry. Fans couldn’t understand how he could could go from one side to the other so easily.

But because he did, it paved the way for both his brothers to follow his footsteps to Ohio State and begin a string of eight consecutive seasons with a Boren brother on the roster. Each overlapped with another at least one season. The youngest, Jacoby, is a senior, about to play in his final Ohio State-Michigan game when the No. 8 Buckeyes face the No. 12 Wolverines on Saturday in Ann Arbor (noon ET, ABC).

“I grew up with the rivalry, obviously,” Jacoby Boren said. “It’s almost like a dream to play in it. As a kid that's what you dreamed of doing. … My dad has played in the rivalry, both my brothers, now I am — we’re definitely fortunate to have this chance.”

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Back in high school, Justin Boren was the nation’s top-ranked center, attracting a great deal of attention from all corners of the college football universe. But he only really ever considered two colleges to attend.

“I told schools like Alabama, Florida, USC, all those schools, the top schools at the time, that I really appreciated it but I didn't want to waste their time and I was going to choose between Ohio State or Michigan,” Justin Boren said. “When it didn't work out for me at Michigan when the whole coaching staff changed and I made the decision that at the time, that I thought that I should transfer elsewhere, there was never, like, ‘Oh my God, it's such a big rivalry.’ To me, the only other school that I had ever thought about going to was Ohio State. So it made sense at the time to transfer there.

“It ruffled a lot of feathers I think. Some people thought I was crazy, but even though we grew up huge Michigan fans, through the recruiting process I had gained a ton of respect for Ohio State and their coaching staff.”

Left to right: Zach Boren, former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, Justin Boren, Jacoby Boren and Mike Boren in fall 1995. Photo by Hope Boren.

So did his brothers. Zach followed, overlapping with Justin for two years and playing both fullback and linebacker for the Buckeyes. As a senior, he captained the 2012 undefeated team that was ineligible for the postseason due to NCAA sanctions; Jacoby was a freshman on that team.

“I remember vividly when coach (Urban) Meyer came in — that was when Jacoby was coming in as a freshman,” Zach Boren said. “That was my senior year and Coach Meyer and I talked about everything. I remember on signing day when Coby came in, I told Coach Meyer, ‘Watch, he's going to be a really good player for you, and one day he’s going to be starting,’ and Coach Meyer looked at me, and I could tell that he didn't fully believe what I was telling him.”

Said Justin, the oldest: “With Coby, because everyone told him he was too small, he was undersized, he wasn't big enough to play, he's always kind of played the underdog role. He kind of had to live with the chip on his shoulder, (people saying) ‘The only reason you're at Ohio State is because of your brothers.’ He's always had to prove people wrong because of that. To see him the past two years develop into the starter … He's such a fighter, he's so scrappy, he goes out there and he's not the biggest guy out there at all, he's by far the smallest on the offensive line, but he plays with such a chip on his shoulder and he plays with such great technique and you know he's had a great, great career at Ohio State.”

Or as Zach put it, “He fought and clawed his way to become a great player, now one of the top at his position across the nation.”

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Jacoby Boren is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy (best scholar-athlete in the nation) and before the 2015 season was placed on the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to the country’s top center. He’s excelled at the position all while moonlighting as part of the family business, which includes snow plowing.

Whenever a bad snowstorm hits Columbus, Jacoby Boren will either be on the plow or coordinating a team of snow plow drivers (about 30 or so) at various sites throughout the night, finishing the job just in time to make it to a 6 a.m. workout. Justin did the same thing when he was in college.

Jacoby said he believes those sleepless nights have helped him gain a mental toughness he never would have discovered otherwise.

“Justin and Jacoby have always loved that kind of stuff; they love machinery and trucks and especially the snow removal, for whatever reason,” said Hope Boren, their mother and a former Michigan track and field athlete. “When Justin was little, he used to go next door — our neighbor was a vice president of Nationwide — and he would go next door with a shovel and clear his driveway down to the bottom. The guy would try to pay him, and Justin wouldn't take it. He just loved to do it and that just translated over to doing it at a much bigger level. They both have found ways, I don't know how, but they both have found ways to do it, go to college and play football.”

Zach, the middle son, laughed when asked if he participated in the snow plow part of the family business. When he was a kid and it snowed, his brothers would be outside and he’d “be at home with mom baking cookies,” Zach said.

“Jacoby's crazy,” Zach said. “My dad had to tell him to stop working last winter, because it actually snowed in between the Sugar Bowl and the national championship game. Ohio State came home, they were home for only I think four or five days. Two of the four or five days, it snowed. Coby was trying to be out all night plowing, getting ready for the national championship game and my dad was telling him, ‘Dude, we got it handled. You're all right. Go get some rest.’ ”

Snow hasn’t hit Columbus yet this winter, and Ohio State doesn’t appear College Football Playoff-bound, so that scenario likely will not duplicate itself this season. Instead, for now, Jacoby Boren is trying to soak up his final few games in a Buckeyes uniform. His final game against Michigan. His last time wearing a uniform that his brothers wore, too — although the significance of all that may hit the brothers even more later when they’re all done with their football-playing careers.

“Being able to play with your brother, who you grew up your entire life with, it’s definitely special,” Jacoby Boren said. “It’s something that I'm definitely very grateful for.”

Said Hope, his mother: “(Playing college football) is a great memory for anybody but it's even greater since they got to play with their brothers.”

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