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WATCH: Jim Harbaugh invites Charles Woodson to be honorary captain for Ohio State game
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When Charles Woodson left Michigan for the NFL, Ohio State fans had a universal reaction.
“I’m glad we never have to see that guy again.”
Well, Buckeye fans will see Woodson if they make the trip to Ann Arbor for The Game this year. But fortunately for OSU, and unfortunately for Michigan, he won’t be in uniform.
Instead, Woodson will serve as the honorary captain for the OSU game. Jim Harbaugh called up the Heisman Trophy winner to invite him:
“You had me at hello,” Woodson said, quoting Jerry Maguire. “I’m all over that. That’s the one game I had marked on my schedule I was going to try to get to. That makes it even better. I’m all in. I thoroughly appreciate that.”
The best interaction might’ve been Harbaugh telling Woodson that Michigan “needed him that week” and that “we need to beat those guys.”
“Yeah,” Woodson replied. “It’s time.”
Woodson has a bit more time on his hands now that his long NFL career is over. The future Hall of Famer started with ESPN in 2016 and is still part of the ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown crew.
Woodson will join Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Derek Jeter among the Michigan honorary captains club. Harbaugh also lined up Michigan graduate and ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter for the Cincinnati game, as well as Fossil Inc. founder Tom Kartsotis for the Florida game at AT&T Stadium.
Michigan has just one win against Ohio State in its last 13 meetings. Perhaps Woodson, as he did in the late 1990s, can get the Wolverines back in the win column.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.