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The Ones That Got Away: Kyle Kalis

+18 HS
BGSUBucksFan's picture
February 20, 2017 at 1:25pm
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Welcome to the third installment of the series, focusing this offseason on the misses of the 2012 recruiting cycle.  Last week we talked about Davonte Neal.  This week we'll discuss the much-maligned Kyle Kalis.

THE RECRUITMENT

Ranked as the 3rd best guard and 49th best player in the nation, Kalis verbally committed to Ohio State in September, 2010.  We all know how this one ended, of course.  Ohio player and OSU fan spurns Ohio State for rival Michigan, with parting words involving blood to boot.  Did you know that Kalis attempted to decommit even before he decommitted?  On May 31, 2011, one day after Tressel's resignation, Luke Fickell talked Ohio's second best prospect into sticking with Ohio State.

"The only way I'd go to Ohio State is if Coach Fick is the coach," said Kalis, a Westlake resident. "I know him pretty well. He knows the way I'm a fighter and I don't give up on things. He said he went through the same thing in college and ended up going to Ohio State, and he said if I go to Ohio State, it will be the best decision of my life. He knew what I knew, that I wanted to be a Buckeye."

Kalis went on to say that he did speak with Coach Tress the previous day, shortly after Tress's resignation was announced.

"We talked for about 15 minutes," Kalis said. "His spirits were pretty high. He didn't want me to worry about him. He said, 'Now that I'm gone, I'm just one of those old guys.' He said that he only lives 12 miles away and I should stop and see him any time."

Just three weeks after claiming to be a fighter who doesn't give up on things, Kalis decommitted from Ohio State despite Fickell still being the man in charge and Urban Meyer just a twinkle in Gene Smith's eye.

It didn't take long for Kalis to follow up his decommitment with a commitment to Michigan.

"I can't go there (Ohio State) and take penalties for something I never did," Kalis told ESPN.com on Monday. "Ohio State is a great program. I'm just not sure how long it will take them to recover. I want a solid, grounded coaching staff with a safe environment. Where there aren't such tough questions."

Kalis said he visited Michigan last weekend and called coach Brady Hoke from the "M" logo at the middle of the field at Michigan Stadium to inform him he was coming to Ann Arbor..."I believe the Michigan-Ohio border is now open."

Ohio State would later hire Urban Meyer in November, but Kalis remained steady in his pledge to the Wolverines.  He had some interesting comments in an interview with Tremendous, a Michigan blog that has seemingly disappeared from the internet.  I did find this quote:

Tremendous: Speaking of phone calls, did you decide to answer it when Urb hit you up a few weeks ago?

Kyle: Well, it happened like this: I heard the phone ring one night and I saw it was a 614 number and knew who it was right away because it was right after a speech he gave. Before I had a chance to stop my mom, she had picked it up, so I had to talk to him.

One can only imagine what Kalis's life became following his commitment to Michigan, but I bet it wasn't fun.  In the same interview with Tremendous, Kyle gave his infamous quote:

"I'd get people telling me they wanted me to tear my ACL. I got plenty of threats. I know it was bad, but I gave my address out to about 20 people and told them to come find me. Nobody came."

[Kyle] took a particularly aggressive tone when asked about the 2012 game between the Big Ten rivals, which will be played in Columbus. "There will be blood on the field and it won't be mine. … Quote it. Let them know."

THE COLLEGE LIFE

Kalis was right that his blood wouldn't be on the field in the 2012 game, mainly because he was on the sidelines.  Kyle redshirted in 2012.

"When Kyle came in, he wasn’t really ready to play yet," [Al] Borges said. "It was a little overwhelming, from a systematic perspective, as much as anything. Not so much physically, but just learning how to play big-time football."

Kalis wasn't too happy about it.

"It sucked," the redshirt freshman offensive lineman said Sunday. "It sucked. So many times, I was close to going in, but they didn't want to burn my redshirt. Everyone wants to play, and it sucks (when you don't get to). And I was mad about it."

Ohio State beat Michigan 26-21 in Kalis's redshirt season.  He was now 0-1 against Ohio State.

Kyle earned a starting spot to start the 2013 season, only to lose it six games later to true freshman Kyle Bosch.  Hoke put him back into the starting lineup prior to the Ohio State game, though.  OSU beat Michigan 42-41.  Kyle Kalis was now 0-2 against Ohio State.

Kalis started seven games in the 2014 season, seemingly cementing his starter status later in the season.  UM's offensive line was #50 in Adjusted Line Yards (OSU was #2) and #72 in Adjusted Sack Rate (OSU was #74) that year.  OSU beat Michigan 42-28.  Kyle Kalis was now 0-3 against Ohio State.

While Kyle started all thirteen games in the 2015 season, Michigan blogs had no problem admitting he was the biggest sore spot on the offensive line.  UM's offensive line was #52 in Adjusted Line Yards (OSU was #7) and #13 in Adjusted Sack Rate (OSU was #53).  OSU beat Michigan 42-13.  Kyle Kalis was now 0-4 against Ohio State.

Kalis remained a starter in 2016, his final collegiate season.  UM's offensive line was #64 in Adjusted Line Yards (OSU was #1) and #28 in Adjusted Sack Rate (OSU was #82).  OSU beat Michigan 30-27.  Kyle Kalis finished 0-5 against Ohio State.

LIFE AFTER COLLEGE

Kalis was selected to the Senior Bowl, where he received mixed reviews.  He is largely seen as either a late-round selection or an undrafted free agent in the upcoming NFL draft.  Kalis does have an NFL bloodline and will likely be given a shot somewhere.  If that doesn't work out, though, he does have a backup plan:

"...honestly, since I was a little kid, growing up watching the guys in the WWE, it always has been so appealing to me. I'm going to sound like such a meathead when I say this, but it sounds like the perfect job ever. You just lift and you train and you get ready to perform. It's a lot like football..."

“He needs a costume,” offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Tim Drevno said... "He’d do a good job, from the top of the ring, I think. Leaping off and coming down.”

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

Kalis could have added some solid depth to the OL, but it's safe to say the Buckeyes were just fine without his services, especially after the comments he made following his Michigan commitment.  The outcome of this story (0-5) makes it very easy to chalk this one up as a win for OSU.  Personally, I enjoyed taking the Boren family away from Michigan even more; another case of the results speaking for themselves.  I imagine the UrbanMeter on this one, though, reads as follows (GIF credit to Barf):

RELEVANT

http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2016/11/76946/kyle-kal...

http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2015/11/64184/those-wh...

http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-basketball/the-situational/2015...

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