BUCKEYES' 'KEY'
DALLAS — It’s in the damn bloodlines.
Michael Thomas doesn’t have his uncle Keyshawn Johnson’s mouth or lookatme personality. Ohio State’s softspoken wide receiver, the former Jet’s nephew does seem to have some of his ability, though — particularly his flair for the dramatic.
That was apparent in the Buckeyes’ 4235 upset ofNo. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, as Thomas made seven catches for 66 yards, including an acrobatic 13yard touchdown catch with 12 seconds left in the first half in which he made a leaping grab and somehow got his left foot in bounds as he fell out of bounds.
“I just always prepared if a play comes my way, I’m going to try to be a gamechanger,” the 6foot3 sophomore said on Saturday, sounding like a toneddown Johnson.
Thomas said he was a video game junkie growing up in Los Angeles, but he made time to watch Johnson, first at USC and later in the NFL. It inspired him to get into the sport, wanting to emulate his star uncle.
“He’s been a great motivation for me and he also set the bar high for me and for my younger cousins and brothers that came up playing football,” Thomas said. “We have a high standard in our house.”
Johnson, nowan ESPN analyst, sees history repeating itself. He finds himself getting as animated watching Thomas and his son, highly rated high school recruit Keyshawn Johnson Jr., as Thomas’s father, Michael Sr., did when he played. In fact, there is a photo of Johnson at halftime of the 1996 Rose Bowl with Michael Sr.
“Me in my uniform it looks just like Mikey in his uniform,” said Johnson, the threetime Pro Bowler who coached Thomas in high school on his 7on7 travel team. “You’re going to get a blow to the head if you say something derogatory about the Buckeyes. That’s the way my family was when Iwas a player.”
Thomas broke out this year, leading Ohio State in receptions (50) while hauling in 746 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. It took him a while to find his way at Ohio State, described previously by Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer as “the mistake guy,” whether itwas running the wrong route or forgetting the play and explaining it with an excuse.
He was used sparingly as a true freshman, collecting just three receptions. Last season, the Buckeyes redshirted him, an odd move considering Thomas was healthy. Yet he never considered looking elsewhere.
“As a competitor, you don’t want to run,” he said. “When things aren’t going your way or things aren’t going great, youwant to figure how you can correct things.
“I wanted to keep my two feet down and grind it out, make a change.”
He made that change all, becoming a vital contributor to Ohio State’s fifthranked offense, playing for a national championship Monday night. Thomas said he always wonderedwhat it felt like to be his uncle, playing in all of those big games, from the Rose Bowl to those Sundays in the NFL. He’s getting used to it now. “I feel like I’m at the Super Bowl right now,” he said, cracking a rare smile. “It would be a great feeling to finish it. It’s the ultimate stage.”
But Johnson sees even moreon the horizon for his nephew.
“If I’m grading and I’m rating [college wide receivers] — this isn’t a biased opinion, this is the opinion of a person who gets paid to make opinion, who got paid at the highest level — he’s going to be one of the top five receivers on the big board next year,” Johnson said, alluding to the 2016 draft. “He has the size, he has [speed], he has what the NFL looks for. He has the maturity. There’s no offthefield issues.
“He’sapro. He’s going to be a pro. That’s what I do know.”
Michael Thomas may not talk big, but his uncle hasn’t lost his touch.