A former Michigan standout has strong words for Ohio State

“We’re definitely going to take down Ohio State. It’s that or bust. Little brother can speak all they want -- we’ll get the job done no matter what.”

-Former Michigan cornerback Jourdan Lewis, via Austin Fox, TheWolverine.com

Former Michigan cornerback Jourdan Lewis has wasted no time in giving back to the community in which he grew up. After being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Lewis began hosting a football camp for kids in the Detroit area. Along with a number of current Michigan players, Lewis held the second edition of his camp this past weekend. While the camp itself is very cool, Lewis did choose to speak about his expectations for his alma mater next season (which are high), including his thoughts on the Wolverines’ chances versus Ohio State.

Which reverts back to what’s become a common theme in the last few weeks. For some reason, folks seem to have decided recently that now looks like a good time to call out Ohio State and predict a win up to several seasons out. An Iowa recruit from the class of 2020 did so last week, followed by a Michigan recruit just days ago. Now, Lewis has joined in, predicting a win for his former team over the rival whom he could never beat. Lewis also called out in-state rival Michigan State, using former running back Mike Hart’s “little brother” adage to predict another victory for his team.

This seems like an opportune time for a reminder that Ohio State has won seven-straight matchups over Michigan, and 14 of the last 15 iterations. In case a recap is necessary (always), the Buckeyes defeated the Wolverines by a score of 62-39 in Columbus last season, bringing Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s record against Ohio State to 0-4.

“Haskins proceeded to break 28 records at Ohio State and seven Big Ten records, including those for touchdown passes in a season (50) and passing yards in a season (4,831).”

-Tom VanHaaren, ESPN

Hindsight is always 20/20. That fact is painfully clear year in and year out when it comes to recruiting. How accurate can projections really be for not-quite-fully-grown high schoolers, especially when it comes to their supposed impact for teams with whom they’ve never actually practiced?

But sometimes the scouts get it right. For Ohio State in the most recent draft, defensive end Nick Bosa was all-but known to be a top-five NFL Draft pick well before he made the choice to commit to Ohio State. Similarly, Dwayne Haskins was the fourth-overall quarterback in the 2016 recruiting class, and the 63rd-ranked player in the ESPN 300 ranking of that year. Ultimately, Haskins was taken with the 15th-overall selection by the Washington Redskins, with pundits charging that he should have been taken much, much higher by the New York Giants.

What is somewhat surprising about Haskins is what makes him different than Bosa. For starters, Haskins was initially committed to Maryland before making the switch to Ohio State after a coaching change with the Terps. And while the defensive end had a role on the field from his first game as a true freshman, Haskins faded into the background for the entirety of his true freshman season and most of his redshirt freshman season — that is, until he emerged in the final regular season game of 2017 to fill in for the injured J.T. Barrett against Michigan.

Haskins’ spark off the bench gave a strong indication of what he would be capable of as the de facto starter heading into 2018, and it was a reminder for many of why he arrived at Ohio State in the first place as such a highly-touted recruit. His performance in 2018, which included conference records for passing touchdowns and passing yards, only confirmed his NFL potential.

In yet another solid weekend for spring sports, headlined by baseball upsetting Nebraska in Omaha to win the Big Ten Tournament and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, Ohio State continued its postseason runs for a number of its spring programs.

As the seventh-seed, the Buckeyes were the lowest seed to ever win the Big Ten Tournament. This year’s win marks the 10th tournament title in program history and the first since 2016. Next up, Ohio State heads to the Nashville Regional as the No. 4 seed to take on Vanderbilt, Indiana State and McNeese. While there is still a long road ahead of the Buckeyes, the program has a chance to make it back to the College World Series, also held in Omaha, for the first time since 1967. Along with Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, Indiana and Illinois made the tournament as at-large bids.

Track and field continued its postseason excellence in the NCAA Championships this past weekend. After preliminary rounds in Jacksonville were completed, 15 Buckeyes from both the men’s and women’s squads earned spots in the NCAA Championships, scheduled to begin June 5 in Austin. The women’s team has had a particularly strong year, taking home both the indoor and outdoor conference championships in the Big Ten this season.

Also over the weekend, the men’s golf team finished in 11th place in the NCAA Championships after play Sunday, making the cut to advance to the final round of stroke play Monday. The men’s golf championship continues this week from Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Looking ahead, women’s rowing punched a ticket to the NCAA Championships, scheduled to start Thursday from Indianapolis. The Big Ten has a particularly strong showing this season, with six conference programs set to make an appearance in the 22-team field. This year marks the Buckeyes’ 20th appearance in the NCAA Championships in program history.

STICK TO SPORTS

• Ohio State may not be playing in the NCAA Lacrosse Championship, but everyone should have watched just to see Yale’s mascot.
• You were probably watching baseball instead and noticed this horrid incident.
• Fortunately, the Buckeyes made up for it.