Woah! The Michigan Wolverines fans must be letting out a sigh of relief now that, finally, the 2024 season is coming to an end. After all, this season has been no less than a roller-coaster ride. Starting with parting ways with the legendary Jim Harbaugh to not making it to the playoffs even though they were the defending champions. However, Sherrone Moore did try to soften the blows a bit. The Wolverines now boast the No.1 recruit, Bryce Underwood, who flipped to Moore’s squad.

But now that their arch-rivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes, are just a step away from bagging the national title, it’s surely going to reopen some old gashes. One such wound is their former linebacker Joey Velazquez, who betrayed the Wolverines and chose Ryan Day’s program. The backstabbing is still fresh in Michigan fans’ memories. 

Joey Velazquez is one step away from witnessing history for the second time

The hate fest between Moore’s Michigan and Day’s Buckeyes makes up for one of the most important chapters in CFB history. For more than a century, the inhabitants of these two neighboring states turn into a pair of warring tribes at each other’s throats late in the fall. However, last season, Velazquez did not wait for the fall.

As soon as Harbaugh made an exit from Ann Arbor, the linebacker too thought of bidding farewell to the Wolverines back in February. Velazquez had his second home ready as Day and Co. welcomed him with open arms. Well, lucky man!

The Walk-On Redshirts tweeted on January 14. They wrote, “Strange but true: If Ohio State wins Monday, Joey Velazquez will be a back to back national champion.” The young chap played high school ball at DeSales and later got added to Day’s program as a walk-on. Before that, in Ann Arbor, he had spent five seasons before committing to the portal. So, he was part of Harbaugh’s tribe when the Wolverines proved themselves by beating No.2 Washington 34-13, bagging the national title. 

This victory has indeed been historic, as it marked the school’s first national championship since 1997. Sadly, Ohio State could not make it to the playoffs in 2023 as they lost to the Missouri Tigers in the New Year’s Six Bowl. But look how the tables turned! Wolverines fans are already upset with the Buckeyes flying high. Now that their ex-player, Velazquez, seems to be enjoying success with both teams, it’s not sitting well with some fans. 

Fans still remember ‘the Joey Velazquez’ blow  

Well, the rivalry between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes dates back to the Toledo War of 1835. Back when Michigan and Ohio fought over a strip of land. The first face-off between the two teams took place in 1897 when Michigan came off as the winner with 34-0. Michigan has won against Ohio State 61 times in the regular college football season. Ohio State has only won 52 times. So, the rivalry continues to this date.

On that note, Velazquez might have opted for some other program. Now if Day wins the title a frustrated fan has a message for the player. “He’ll be a cheater made first-time legitimate champion,” wrote the fan. Velazquez left the Wolverines’ hands at a time when Moore and Co. needed some loyalty and patience from their players. That’s when another fan tagged him as, “# traitor.”

A fan even raised a demand on how players should be banned even if they think of trying their luck in the rivals’ fam. He commented, “Transferring to your hated rival should be against the law.” Well, Valenquez holds four Big Ten championships. Three with the Wolverines football team and one with the baseball team. However, a fan believes that he will be mobbed for an interview to find out the reason behind his flip. He commented, “When job recruiters read his resume and see Michigan and Ohio state he automatically gets an interview just to understand why 😂😂😂.”

Another Wolverines fan is not happy about their former player experiencing another National title win and threw a question, “Who allowed this move to HAPPEN 😭😭😭.” Well, Joey Velazquez is not the first one to come up with the risky swap. Before him, it was offensive lineman Justin Boren who did the same in 2019. Now let’s see whether the fans’ evil eyes for the player would cost Ryan Day the National Championship title.