The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1536962
104 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY JOHN BORTON S enior cornerback Zeke Berry first visited Michigan from his home base in California, a certified star of The Golden State from De La Salle High School. By the time a snow globe afternoon in The Big House ended, he found himself well on his way to trading gold for maize and blue. Berry, out of Pittsburg, Calif., just happened to take his official visit when Michigan squared off against Ohio State, on Nov. 27, 2021. The Wolverines hadn't knocked off the Buckeyes in what seemed like forever. Jim Harbaugh, in place since 2015, still sought his first triumph over OSU as Michigan's head coach. That's the day it all came together. Amid swirling flurries in Michigan Sta- dium, the Wolverines stunned the Buck- eyes, 42-27, delighted their fans, and won over a wide-eyed recruit who looked on with amazement. The Wolverines, and Berry, haven't lost to Ohio State since. "Seeing the whole atmosphere — I'd never been to a Big Ten game, or a college football game in the snow," Berry mar- veled. "That was different for me, but I just fell in love with it. Walking into The Big House for the first time, I was just shocked, seeing that many people. I've never seen that many people in a stadium before for a game. "But it wasn't just falling in love with the stadium. I fell in love with the people around, no matter if it was people outside or people in the football facilities. The people I worked with in the facility, I got along with. We all had similar goals — to be the best." They've been striving together toward that goal ever since. They made it in 2023, as the 15-0 Big Ten and national champi- HEATED COMPETITION A Little Snow Didn't Scare Off California Corner Zeke Berry Last season, Berry notched 37 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, and he also broke up 11 passes, picking off a pair, with an interception in his very first start in a Michigan uniform. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL