Kyle Kalis was right.
You have to forgive high school kids with newfound fame for speaking their minds unguardedly - but credit is due where credit is earned. Kalis called his shot and it landed where he said it would.
Ohio State had originally planned on the Lakewood, OH bluechip OL to become the chief propagandist for its 2012 recruiting class after he committed to Jim Tressel. Five-stars attract other talented players - it's a fact of recruiting. But shortly after Tressel was no longer with the Buckeyes, neither was Kalis.
He did not dump Ohio State for Michigan quietly (is that even possible?) but he was a confident kid without a filter, which makes him like most confident kids. That's when he made his bold declaration.
We're not talking about this one, by the way:
"There will be blood on the field and it won't be mine. … Quote it. Let (Ohio State fans) know.
[re: dream scenario against Ohio State] A pancake on every play of the game, us putting up a ton of points on them and once again, a jersey drenched in red."
That was more playful banter that struck the wrong nerve with Ohio State's entire program in turmoil than prophecy - and it obscured the real prediction he made at the time. Five seasons later as Ohio State is attempting to complete a 5-0 sweep against Michigan with Kalis on its roster instead of its own, his rivalry prediction has already been validated.
We're talking about this one:
ESPN quoted Kalis as saying: "I believe the Michigan-Ohio border is now open.
Kalis said the quote is accurate, although it wasn’t meant to sound like he “was trying to get back at Ohio State.”
“I said that there used to be a sort of border between Ohio to Michigan and that for whatever reason you’re gonna see a handful of guys make that jump that they usually wouldn’t,” he said.
Michigan carries 14 native Ohioans on its roster in 2016, down from 21 last season. Historically this seems low to what the Wolverines usually poach from its southern neighbor.
Kalis - young, unfiltered and confident - was absolutely prescient. You're probably familiar with the handful of guys who usually wouldn't make the jump that he was clearly referring to:
| RECRUIT | HOMETOWN | U-M OFFER? | CURRENT STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAMON WEBB | Detroit, MI | Yes | Two-year OSU starter |
| MICHAEL WEBER | Detroit, MI | Yes | Third OSU freshman ever to rush for over 1,000 yards |
| Josh Alabi | Detroit, MI | Yes | Backup defensive lineman |
| Michael JordAn | Canton, MI | Yes | First OSU freshman to start on OL since Orlando Pace |
Michigan always has a significant number of players from Ohio. Conversely, it's been historically rare for Ohio State to have more than two from the state of Michigan on its entire roster at once - it currently has three starters. The biggest southern migration in Ohio State-Michigan football history just happened to coincide with Kalis' prediction.
So you can say whatever you want about Kalis - worthy adversary, terrific villain, championship sound byte generator and possible 2017 NFL draft pick...but you cannot say he was wrong. The young, confident unfiltered kid called his shot - and he nailed it.
