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Who knew when Ohio State took a chance on a modest wide-receiver prospect out of Calfornia back in 2012 that he would eventually be arguably the best wide-receiver in the NFL?

Michael Thomas was a bit of an afterthought when Urban Meyer signed his first class just after agreeing to be the head coach at Ohio State, but we did hear things like “diamond in the rough” and “under the radar” when the staff spoke about Thomas. In reflecting, there was a lot of truth to that. He may have been better known as being the nephew of All-Pro wide-receiver Keyshawn Johnson, but he turned out to be pretty good himself.

Thomas sat down with CampusLore and spoke about those humble beginnings, what drove him, and how he thought about going to USC, but wanted to make a name for himself rather than following in his uncle’s footsteps.

He’s done that and more. Thomas talked about growing up and finding out his love for football.

“Pretty much coming out I was a late bloomer,” Thomas told Campus Lore. “I didn’t have a lot of attention, I didn’t have a like lot of hype behind my name. I was kind of a basketball player growing up. I love basketball, I loved Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson. I remember when I was growing up, I watched USC play Ohio State in the Horseshoe. Seeing the atmosphere and all the big names on both sides of the ball — and they were just going at it and competing. It was football to me. I kind of just wanted to be a part of that.”

Thomas also talked about trying to follow in the big footsteps his uncle left.

“My uncle is Keyshawn Johnson, 1996 first round, No. 1 pick overall to the New York Jets. He laid the foundation, he set the standard real high. He went to USC and that was close to home, and I feel like a lot of people were just expecting me to follow in his footsteps, but I wanted to do my own thing.”

Former OSU standout Michael Thomas sets Saints single-season receptions record https://t.co/8fq6PkQxdS

— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) December 18, 2019

But as good as Thomas has become, he was a relative unknown. He still has a deep love for Ohio State because it gave him the opportunity. He still seems to love reminiscing about those college days and the camaraderie, competition, and even a few dust ups along the way.

“Recruiting started off slow and it kept me honest. It helped me find out if I really wanted to play this game, and what it’s going to take to get where I want to go. Ohio State is where I came up at. That’s where I made my name, that’s what gave me the start, gave me the opportunity. I miss everything about it — my coaches, my teammates, the Friday dinners, the best Friday practices, going against great players and getting in fights in practice, but still going to war with them on Saturdays. I miss everything about it.

Being the nephew of a great athlete isn’t always enough though. Thomas wasn’t given anything, but he knew what he wanted to do, and wasn’t afraid to work for it. His practice habits are legendary around Ohio State.

“I definitely believed that I would have a shot. I saw a lot of stuff, I kind of calculated my steps — I set goals and attacked them. There were definitely bumps along the way. I faced adversity. There were ups and downs. But you know, that’s what makes this journey and being at the Pro Bowl and in this position that much more enjoyable because you kept grinding it, you pushed through it never folded. I wanted it, so whatever it took to get there, I was going to do it.”

Now, Thomas has taken his family’s legacy and done nothing but improve on it, against all odds in fact. He seems motivated to keep working and to keep it that way.

“At the end of the day, it was never me against my uncle, or me competing with my uncle, it was always me competing with myself. I feel like my uncle to me just passed the torch, and that to me is my family, and at the end of the day I have to keep the torch lit.

Yes, Thomas, that torch has definitely been passed and continues to burn brighter and brighter.