O-lineman Justin Boren off the Team

Last year's starting center/guard, junior Justin Boren has left the team, according to head coach, Rich Rodriguez. At today's press conference, Rodriguez refused further comment on the situation other than to offer his new trademark, "I only talk about players who play for the University of Michigan."

Speculation says that strength and conditioning coach, Mike Barwis, is the main reason behind Boren's departure. Boren now joins two other former starting O-linemen (Alex Mitchell and Jeremy Ciulla) as players who had eligibility left but have left the team. Michigan certainly will be thin at Offensive Linemen come fall. Rodriguez admitted that it is rare to have true freshman on the two-deep depth chart as Michigan certainly will in the fall.

In other news, the Spring Game/Practice will be held on April 12th, at Saline High School. No word on whether or not this will be open to the public since Saline High can't hold the couple of thousand that usually attend when it's held at the Big House.

UPDATE: Boren decided not to leave quietly as he released a statement saying, "Michigan football was a family, built on mutual respect and support for each other from Coach Carr on down. We knew it took the entire family, a team effort, and we all worked together. I have great trouble accepting that those family values have eroded in just a few months. That same helmet, that I was raised on and proudly claimed for the last two years, now brings a completely different emotion to me, one that interferes with practicing and playing my best and mentally preparing for what is required."

Boren will have two years of eligibility left after transferring unless he tried to pull a Ryan Mallet and petition the NCAA for a special exception to the transfer rule. No word on whether the NCAA considers "erosion of family values" as a valid reason to transfer and not sit out a year.