Ohio native Rod Moore discusses The Game’s personal importance to him

There have been many stories over the years about “traitors” in the Michigan–Ohio State rivalry; recruits that either came from Ohio and signed with the Wolverines, or vice versa.

As safety Rod Moore would tell you, those stories are largely overblown. In his family especially, there’s nothing but love regardless of what colors he wears on Saturday — though not without a fair share of good-hearted ribbing.

“I tell them ‘you can root for Ohio State, I don’t know how that’s gonna go for you,’” Moore said with a laugh Tuesday evening. “But they always tell me they’re gonna be rooting for me, so there’s always love through the bloodline.”

Moore isn’t the first Michigan player to have come from the state of Ohio, nor will he be the last. What makes his case so interesting, however, is that he’s one of the few Ohio natives to have only been recruited by just one side of the rivalry.

As a three star recruit from Clayton, Ohio, Moore received offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, and Kentucky, among others — but not from Ohio State.

Even though Moore admitted he wishes he had been given a look by the Buckeyes, he gave a frank answer when asked if he would’ve considered their offer if it had been given.

“I would’ve liked to have been recruited by them, but I wouldn’t have went there,” Moore said. “I didn’t want to stay home, cause that’s about an hour from where I live. I wanted to go somewhere that was far enough from home but not (too far from) home.”

With one win over Ohio State in his ledger already, Moore has the opportunity to leave his mark once again on Saturday — this time in front of his friends and family.