• Nov 5, 2015 at 6:30 PM Keyshawn Johnson does not want to say, “I told you so.” But … Who are we kidding? Yes, he does. As Ohio State’s Michael Thomas develops into one of the top receivers in the nation, Johnson will not let his alma mater — or anyone else — forget it. It was the former Southern California star wideout who lobbied the Trojans to include Thomas, his nephew, in their 2011 recruiting class, only for then-coach Lane Kiffin to cast his eye toward shinier options. Kiffin passed on the three-star recruit from Los Angeles in favor of two blue-chippers —including George Farmer, the top receiver prospect in the country. Four years later, Johnson still wonders if some recruiting analysts can tell “the difference between a cat and a dog.” The tandem of Trojans hotshots never amounted to much and left school early while Thomas has traveled a winding route to stardom for the top-ranked Buckeyes. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior is the leading returning receiver from Ohio State’s national title team last season and an unlikely leader of a group in pursuit of another. These days, Johnson spares few chances to have fun with Kiffin, who was fired from USC in 2013 and is now the offensive coordinator at Alabama. He tells Kiffin he would still have his job if he recruited Thomas and continues to send him highlight clips, including one of his nephew’s balletic touchdown catch in the Buckeyes’ win over Kiffin and Alabama in the last year’s Sugar Bowl. “I do it to kind of mess with them,” Johnson said in a phone interview. “For [USC], that was a bit of a mistake, and that’s OK. …
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