COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Damon Webb doesn't feel like he broke down any barriers.

"Just thinking about my recruiting process," Webb told cleveland.com during a one-on-one interview last week, "I wouldn't say I was trying to open a door or anything like that. I just felt like I made the best decision for me like all recruits do."

Webb still doesn't see what his commitment to Ohio State has meant for the program or the significance of being the first prospect Urban Meyer signed out of Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech, which has traditionally been a Michigan pipeline.

Everything was so simple for Webb: Ohio State was three hours away from downtown Detroit, it puts players in the NFL at a rapid rate, it competes for a national title and he had a strong bond with Meyer, assistant coach Kerry Coombs and players on the roster. So he signed.

But that signature was a contribution to Ohio State that already has been far more important than his tackles, pass break-ups or even the pick-six he had on the third play of the game in the Buckeyes 62-3 win over Nebraska on Nov. 5.

His signature gave people options.

It gave Ohio State the confirmation that it's worth recruiting Cass Tech despite the fact the program has sent countless players to Michigan and is led by a former Wolverine running back.

It also gave other Cass Tech football prospects another familiar option. Michigan is still always going to get the first crack at a Cass Tech, but a 16-year-old boy can see that Webb crossed over and found success and happiness. That makes a kid think, and in the world of college football recruiting, there's no downside when a high-schooler has another option.

"I never really thought about it that way, but it's definitely kind of cool now that you say it," Webb said. "You know, coming from Michigan, a lot of our family members and friends are Michigan fans, so giving other guys the opportunity to look at Ohio State or just knowing that there are kids from their high school that went to Ohio State, they feel like they can be successful up here."

Damon Webb broke down a barrier when he left Cass Tech for Ohio State. He changed the rivalry.

Ohio State is playing Michigan on Saturday with both teams still alive in the national championship hunt, and Webb, a starter in the Buckeyes secondary, will have the chance to break up a pass, make a crucial tackle, or, if things really work out, snag an interception. That's the dream.

But if that doesn't happen for Webb, he still has a chance to make an impact.

How?

After Webb, the former No. 2 overall player in Michigan in 2014, signed with Ohio State, the Buckeyes went on to sign two more Cass Tech football players in 2015: Four-star running back Mike Weber and four-star defensive tackle Josh Alabi.

Maybe Weber, Ohio State's starting running back, will rush for a touchdown.

Give Webb some credit if that happens.

"It's not easy to go from Detroit to Ohio State, but by Webb being here first, and with us being so close to his family already, it gave us familiarity with Ohio State," Mike Weber Sr., the tailback's father, told cleveland.com. "They already gave us the loop on how the environment was, how great it is and all the expectations of the program, all the coaches, it's just wonderful, man.

"Ohio State is the best university in the world, man. Back when I was coming up, we didn't have social media and all this access to understanding what all these other programs are up to. But once we had Webb come down, he opened it up and we saw how great everything is down here. It's undeniable and we're better off because of Webb."

Though the Buckeyes and Wolverines only meet once a year on the field, Meyer and Jim Harbaugh face off every day in recruiting. That battle takes place quite often at Cass Tech, including in the 2017 class with five-star receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, who is uncommitted and deciding between Michigan, Ohio State and others.

Four-star safety Jalyn Kelly-Powell is another one who was considering the Buckeyes before bleeding to the Wolverines last week.

"It's all about giving our kids options," Cass Tech coach Thomas Wilcher told cleveland.com. "That's the most important thing in all of this: The welfare of the child and giving the child the chance to make a decision that's best for him."

That's why Wilcher takes his team to Ohio State multiple times a year: Options. And when the Cass Tech kids are Columbus, what do they do?

"They spend time with me, Mike and Josh," Webb said.

Situations like that is what makes this rivalry so great.

People cross borders, choose allegiances and have an impact on a game that means so much to so many people. This year's game is already a classic and it hasn't been played yet.

So maybe Webb will make a play. Or maybe he won't.

But he has changed this rivalry. Even if he doesn't realize it.

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