COLUMBUS, Ohio — Just Give Me the Damn Ball!
That was the title of Keyshawn Johnson's 1997 autobiography, released just one year into the 1996 No. 1 overall pick's NFL career. And more than 17 years later, it's become a rallying cry of sorts for his nephew, although Michael Thomas hardly carries himself with the same bravado as his famous uncle.
Few would describe Thomas as loud and boisterous, at least not in front of the media, where it's clear that the Ohio State wide receiver would prefer to disappear behind the doors of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center as quickly as possible. A shy kid with a sheepish smile, it doesn't take much to see that Thomas would rather field passes from his quarterback than questions from reporters.
But the Los Angeles native presents a different persona on Twitter, where @Cantguardmike has been known to let his inner Uncle Keyshawn out. Perhaps never more so than he did following last season's loss in the Orange Bowl, where he called out the Buckeyes' lack of production at the wide receiver position.
"There was 2 people on the field that combined for 200+ plays past 2 games only brought to the table 3 catches 16 [yards]," Thomas posted, among other remarks in a string of since-deleted tweets. "They are considered starters at Ohio State!"
If Thomas was frustrated—and his posts would indicate that he was—with the underwhelming numbers of starters Devin Smith and Evan Spencer, he was likely more upset with himself than he was anyone else. After all, whatever Smith and Spencer were contributing in 2013 was certainly more than Thomas, whom the Buckeyes coaching staff opted to redshirt as a sophomore.
"Mike knows at the end of the day he could have beat out anybody and offered more production, but he didn't," Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith said when asked about Thomas' comments in February. "Those guys beat him out."
Fast forward eight months later and Thomas looks a little bit more like Johnson did during his standout days at Southern California—and not just because he's adopted his famous uncle's No. 3 uniform.
Rather than standing on the sideline Thomas finally finds himself in a starring role for the Buckeyes. Through the first three games of the 2014 season, he leads Ohio State with team highs of 11 receptions, 214 yards and four touchdowns.
After a preserved year of eligibility took precedent over his potential production a season ago, the 6'3", 209-pounder is now the undisputed No. 1 wide receiver on a Buckeyes team that entered this season in desperate need of one.
"When the opportunity comes and presents itself, I just know I need to catch the ball first and get the most out of it," Thomas said following his two-reception, 77-yard, two-touchdown performance against Kent State on Saturday. "We've got a lot of talented guys that can make plays too, so just when it presents itself, I take it."
Through the first fourth of the season, that's exactly what Thomas has done, scoring at least one touchdown in each of Ohio State's first three games. It's the type of production that the Buckeyes were missing in last season's back-to-back losses to Michigan State and Clemson in the Big Ten Championship Game and Orange Bowl, respectively, the type that led to his out-of-character social media rant.
It was also the type of production that many expected from Thomas when he burst onto the scene in Columbus in Ohio State's 2012 spring game. An early enrollee yet to officially start his college career, the Woodland Hills Taft product stole the show in the Buckeyes' annual exhibition, recording 12 catches for 131 yards.
That wasn't enough, however, to impress his All-American uncle, who accumulated 168 catches, 2,796 yards and 16 touchdowns in just two seasons with the Trojans in 1994 and 1995. What really stood out to Johnson was that Thomas managed to play as a true freshman, catching three balls for 11 yards during Ohio State's run to a 12-0 season in 2012.
"Those were lollipop grabs in a spring game. How could you have put any claim to that?" Johnson told The Toledo Blade in 2013, via Eleven Warriors. "What means something is he's playing against Michigan, playing against Wisconsin, that's what means something to me. And when you're in the rotation as a true freshman, what more can you ask for?"
His early production may have been underwhelming, but Thomas appeared to be building momentum heading into his sophomore season. In his second spring game, he again put up big numbers, with seven receptions, 79 yards and a touchdown catch to his credit.
But perhaps true to his uncle's prophecy, none of that seemed to matter much when the 2013 season rolled around. As Smith, Spencer and Corey "Philly" Brown were trotted out for the majority of the Buckeyes' wide receiver reps, Thomas was strapped to the sideline, as Urban Meyer insisted on not losing another year of the former 3-star prospect's eligibility.
"We don’t want to redshirt," Meyer said after Thomas sat out Ohio State's first two games of the 2013 season. "But we also don’t want to waste a year."
Insisted Zach Smith of Thomas, "He prepared to play. He was as much a part of the team as anyone else."
Thomas' final stats on the season—zero catches for zero yards and zero touchdowns in zero games—indicated otherwise.
While it may not have shown in his infamous string of tweets, Thomas insists that he took a positive approach into his redshirt season. It may have been unconventional, but the third-year player says that it was somewhat necessary after what was an otherwise wasted freshman campaign in 2012.
"I just needed to keep working hard on developing and just grow up and mature and do what the coaches tell me and trust in them," Thomas said. "I definitely felt my time was going to come."
That time appears to be now, as evidenced by his impressive stats that are no longer being posted in just the spring game. With 11 receptions—six more than Ohio State's next leading wideout—Thomas has shown the stability to be a possession receiver while also showing big-play ability, with touchdowns of 63 and 58 yards on the year.
"It's just like a dream come true," Thomas said. "To wear scarlet and gray and make plays on that field in that great stadium."
And as for Uncle Keyshawn's advice? Surprisingly, it's had nothing to do with Thomas' ability as a pass-catcher.
"He just tells me: 'Finish blocks,'" Thomas said of the three-time Pro Bowler's words of wisdom.
Of course, getting Thomas the damn ball hasn't hurt the Buckeyes either.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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