'14 FL DE/OLB Chad Thomas (Miami Verbal)

[STLDomer]

Defensive End
Booker T Washington High School
Miami, Florida

Measurables
Height: 6'5
Weight: 240
40: 4.85
Shuttle: 4.37

Stats
2011: 62 Tackles, 5 Sacks
2012: 57 Tackles, 4 Sacks

Rankings
Rivals: 5.8 Rating, #29 FL, #11 WDE, #221 Overall
247: 94 Rating, #21 FL, #9 WDE, #165 Overall
ESPN: 83 Rating, #31 FL, #17 DE, #184 Overall
Scout: #7 DE
247 Composite: 93 Rating, #17 FL, #10 WDE, #145 Overall

Offers
Louisville
Miami
Florida State
LSU
Arkansas
Duke
Illinois
Marshall
Mississippi State
North Carolina State
Ole Miss
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Central Florida
Florida
Notre Dame

Interest
Alabama

ND Recruiter: Tony Alford
Decision Schedule:
247 Crystal Ball: 83% Miami | 17% Louisville

Highlights

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[Bogtrotter07]

How come nobody saw this kid before? And does he look as good to all of you?

 

[STLDomer]

Offered today per Wiltfong. Thomas recently dominated The Opening and has two OVs he really wants to take: ND vs USC & Miami vs Florida. Louisville & Miami hold the edge but he's visiting Bama and FSU soon. Same high school as Matthew Thomas

 

[FLDomer]

If we landed a kid from Booker T in Miami I would be absolutely shocked.... FSU is opening a pipeline there that once used to be a Cane stronghold. I think the Booker T QB just committed to FSU.

 

[Emcee77]

I could be off base here, but after a quick glance at his film he reminds me of Jarrett Grace, in terms of his body type and the way he moves. Could he play ILB as well as OLB?

 

[ShakeDown]

If we landed a kid from Booker T in Miami I would be absolutely shocked.... FSU is opening a pipeline there that once used to be a Cane stronghold. I think the Booker T QB just committed to FSU.

Same school as Matthew Thomas. Hmm... Good or bad thing for Noles?

Treon Harris is the recent commit. QB in name alone. He will be given a cursory look there then promptly moved to db or wr.

 

[FLDomer]

Same school as Matthew Thomas. Hmm... Good or bad thing for Noles?

Treon Harris is the recent commit. QB in name alone. He will be given a cursory look there then promptly moved to db or wr.

Oh I know FSU recruited him as a Athlete, but my whole point is knowing Booker T I would be shocked if we pulled a kid outta there, although it would be nice because of the talent there.

 

[ShakeDown]

Oh I know FSU recruited him as a Athlete, but my whole point is knowing Booker T I would be shocked if we pulled a kid outta there, although it would be nice because of the talent there.

I agree 100%. I'd be shocked as well. I'd actually be pretty surprised if he went anywhere other than UMiami.

And you're absolutely right, at one point Miami had Booker kids on lockdown, but now not so much.

 

[rtrn2glory]

is he related to Zach Thomas

 

[OCIrish]

is he related to Zach Thomas

Too tall..........

 

[Sherm Sticky]

No way we offered him! This kid dominated The Opening. He has moved to the top of my list!

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Is he of the 'play CAT early then grow into a DE' mold? I can't keep these guys straight. Seems like the staff is going after a 100 LB/DE.

Carter, Williams, Yeargin, Blakenship, Bonner, S. Thomas, and now C. Thomas. Of these guys, what position will they play and who does the staff prefer? (because obviously you can't take them all)

 

[md_bennett]

As I love his ability I do not want to say that I am disappointed in the offer....but I am disappointed in that we seem to be offering a lot of CAT targets. Tells me the staff does not feel good about Williams or Cater and want somebody other than Blankenship and Bonner to be the guy at that position. Yeargin could also be the guy there, but still more CAT offers. I may be seeing this wrong, but I see very few true NG and DE and a LOT of DE/OLB hybrids.

EDIT: Wait I have it...we plan to run the 5-2 Rabbit package. 2 WDE 2 SDE 1 DT and 2 Dogs ranging over the middle.

 

[Emcee77]

Is he of the 'play CAT early then grow into a DE' mold? I can't keep these guys straight. Seems like the staff is going after a 100 LB/DE.

Carter, Williams, Yeargin, Blakenship, Bonner, S. Thomas, and now C. Thomas. Of these guys, what position will they play and who does the staff prefer? (because obviously you can't take them all)

Good question ...

No way we offered him! This kid dominated The Opening. He has moved to the top of my list!

Sherm, where do you like Thomas, position wise? He has that long, lean build that the staff likes for LBs. In terms of his build, he reminds me of Grace or Savaiinea. On his tape I really like his ability to fill gaps and stop RBs at or behind the LOS. I like him as an ILB, but all I've seen is his 2 minute highlight tape.

 

[Domina Nostra]

As I love his ability I do not want to say that I am disappointed in the offer....but I am disappointed in that we seem to be offering a lot of CAT targets. Tells me the staff does not feel good about Williams or Cater and want somebody other than Blankenship and Bonner to be the guy at that position. Yeargin could also be the guy there, but still more CAT offers. I may be seeing this wrong, but I see very few true NG and DE and a LOT of DE/OLB hybrids.

We already have 2 good pure DEs! Trumbetti is a composite 4-star, top 150-type player. Hayes is also a composite 4-star, top 250 player. And we have offers out to a few more.

IMO, Blankenship is a pure DE as well. The only reason the staff mentioned CAT was because he is athletic enough to see the filed while he is bulking up--like Okwara or Williams.

As far as Bonner, he is already 250. So I bet he'll be a DE as well. Yeargin can play a lot of LB positions. But both of them give us flexibility. That's better than going in all-or-nothing with two Southern studs.

I wish we were after more DTs as well, but we are in good shape with a few.

 

[Irish#1]

As I love his ability I do not want to say that I am disappointed in the offer....but I am disappointed in that we seem to be offering a lot of CAT targets. Tells me the staff does not feel good about Williams or Cater and want somebody other than Blankenship and Bonner to be the guy at that position. Yeargin could also be the guy there, but still more CAT offers. I may be seeing this wrong, but I see very few true NG and DE and a LOT of DE/OLB hybrids.

EDIT: Wait I have it...we plan to run the 5-2 Rabbit package. 2 WDE 2 SDE 1 DT and 2 Dogs ranging over the middle.

Jusy my guess, but some of these guys explode in growth and can turn into a DE. If they don't, they can still play the rush as well as cover.

 

[Emcee77]

We already have 2 good pure DEs! Trumbetti is a composite 4-sat, 141st ranked player. Hayes is also a composite 4-star, ranked around 244. And we have offers out to a few more.

IMO, Blankenship is a pure DE as well. The only reason the staff mentioned CAT was because he is athletic enough to see the filed while he is bulking up--like Okwara or Williams.

As far as Bonner, he is already 250. So I bet he'll be a DE as well. Yeargin can play a lot of LB positions. But both of them give us flexibility. That's better than going in all-or-nothing with two Southern studs.

I wish we were after more DTs as well, but we are in good shape with a few.

Right. And some of the other guys md_bennett mentioned will end up playing inside. The staff likes long, lean ILBs who are tough to throw over, like Jarrett Grace. A lot of those guys play DE in high school. So it may seem like we have a lot of CAT offers out, but if we get all those guys, some will bulk up into pure DEs (Blankenship for sure), others will play CAT, and others will move to ILB or even DOG.

 

[dwshade]

As I love his ability I do not want to say that I am disappointed in the offer....but I am disappointed in that we seem to be offering a lot of CAT targets. Tells me the staff does not feel good about Williams or Cater and want somebody other than Blankenship and Bonner to be the guy at that position. Yeargin could also be the guy there, but still more CAT offers. I may be seeing this wrong, but I see very few true NG and DE and a LOT of DE/OLB hybrids.

EDIT: Wait I have it...we plan to run the 5-2 Rabbit package. 2 WDE 2 SDE 1 DT and 2 Dogs ranging over the middle.

Do you realize how hard it is to find true NT? Hardest position to recruit. Lots of guys though who fit Cat/DE description. This offer says nothing about Williams or Carter. It says they've taken notice of another first rate player and will recruit him. That's what a good staff does, keep recruitng as many good players as you can. Blankenship will definitely be a DE by the time he's ready to play at ND. Should be 6-5, 280-285. Bonner could easily grow into DE as well. In fact likely will.

 

[CanadalovesND]

Do you realize how hard it is to find true NT? Hardest position to recruit. Lots of guys though who fit Cat/DE description. This offer says nothing about Williams or Carter. It says they've taken notice of another first rate player and will recruit him. That's what a good staff does, keep recruitng as many good players as you can. Blankenship will definitely be a DE by the time he's ready to play at ND. Should be 6-5, 280-285. Bonner could easily grow into DE as well. In fact likely will.

Out of all the CAT/DE type players we've signed, Trumbetti may be the one who plays and stays at CAT. There is not much weight he can add to his frame and is already 250. He plays with great quickness and motor, and if he can understand the nuances of coverage schemes, I think he'll be a great CAT.

Blankenship and Bonner are both leaner DE's right now (240-250 Ib range). Both could fill out into the 280-290 Ibs range without losing much of the natural athletic ability

 

[md_bennett]

I also remember the article that spoke of Trumbetti possibly playing CAT. It's hard to peg him as a DE when staff isn't even sure about him playing end yet. Don't get me wrong because flexibility is GREAT. I just think at some point we need to recruit a few guys that fit a position more than hoping a flexible guy is going to work out there because every statement from these OLB/DE says we are going to work them at CAT first. Think we are going to have to commit to somebody being looked at elsewhere first. Did not want to come across as a "sky is falling" guy, just see something that makes me wonder how all these guys could fit schematically.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Good question ...



Sherm, where do you like Thomas, position wise? He has that long, lean build that the staff likes for LBs. In terms of his build, he reminds me of Grace or Savaiinea. On his tape I really like his ability to fill gaps and stop RBs at or behind the LOS. I like him as an ILB, but all I've seen is his 2 minute highlight tape.

I agree with you, he seems like he would be a stud ILB. I just wonder if he out grows the position and becomes a DE. At this point though I like him as an ILB.

 

[ACamp1900]

It's not that i do not like the offer... it just seems curious timing wise... why now? and with spots becoming limited does this in anyway speak to where the staff thinks we stand with other fornt seven guys??

 

[Sherm Sticky]

It's not that i do not like the offer... it just seems curious timing wise... why now? and with spots becoming limited does this in anyway speak to where the staff thinks we stand with other fornt seven guys??

Why now?

Because he dominated at the Opening and he opened every bodes eyes.

 

[Emcee77]

It's not that i do not like the offer... it just seems curious timing wise... why now? and with spots becoming limited does this in anyway speak to where the staff thinks we stand with other fornt seven guys??

I think it means we don't think we have as many locks at DE/LB as we have spots, but beyond that I don't think we can read too much into it. It's not like this guy is looking to commit right away. I think this offer is going out just becuase this guy dominated the Opening and we decided we should get involved. We'll develop a relationship, fly him out for an OV, and, if by February his interest has grown to the point that he wants in, and we still have a spot available for him, fantastic.

 

[NDWorld247]

Right. And some of the other guys md_bennett mentioned will end up playing inside. The staff likes long, lean ILBs who are tough to throw over, like Jarrett Grace. A lot of those guys play DE in high school. So it may seem like we have a lot of CAT offers out, but if we get all those guys, some will bulk up into pure DEs (Blankenship for sure), others will play CAT, and others will move to ILB or even DOG.

I agree with you, he seems like he would be a stud ILB. I just wonder if he out grows the position and becomes a DE. At this point though I like him as an ILB.

I don't really get the notion we can just plug guys who play DE in HS into an ILB position. ILB is probably the most difficult position to play on the defense and usually the best ILB's are guys who have played the position for a while. I understand there are exceptions (Brian Urlacher comes to mind), but it seems we are real quick to peg a guy we're recruiting into the ILB position because that's one of our biggest areas of concern moving forward.

Now, if there are reports the staff thinks a guy like Bonner or Yeargin III can play ILB then I believe them but it seems we often slot guys at ILB without any indication from the staff that that's where they think their best fit is.

Thomas is really hard to identify pre-snap on his tape but the few times I was able to he was playing DT. I don't think there are too many guys who go from playing DT or DE in HS to ILB at a FBS school.

 

[ACamp1900]

okay...

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I think it means we don't think we have as many locks at DE/LB as we have spots, but beyond that I don't think we can read too much into it. It's not like this guy is looking to commit right away. I think this offer is going out just becuase this guy dominated the Opening and we decided we should get involved. We'll develop a relationship, fly him out for an OV, and, if by February his interest has grown to the point that he wants in, and we still have a spot available for him, fantastic.

I think you hold a spot for him no matter what.

 

[Emcee77]

I don't really get the notion we can just plug guys who play DE in HS into an ILB position. ILB is probably the most difficult position to play on the defense and usually the best ILB's are guys who have played the position for a while. I understand there are exceptions (Brian Urlacher comes to mind), but it seems we are real quick to peg a guy we're recruiting into the ILB position because that's one of our biggest areas of concern moving forward.

Now, if there are reports the staff thinks a guy like Bonner or Yeargin III can play ILB then I believe them but it seems we often slot guys at ILB without any indication from the staff that that's where they think their best fit is.

Thomas is really hard to identify pre-snap on his tape but the few times I was able to he was playing DT. I don't think there are too many guys who go from playing DT or DE in HS to ILB at a FBS school.

Well, that's how I used to look at it too, but after a couple years of following this staff's recruiting, it's clear that one of BK's fundamental recruiting principles is to recruit ATHLETES with particular skills, not readymade position players. The way he moves guys around, I don't think he would agree that a guy has a significantly better chance of being successful in college if he plays the same position all the way through his career. I mean, Dan Fox was a high school safety who has become a solid ILB. Doug Randolph was a high school DE who played ILB in the Army AA game, who may start out at ILB for us and who some analysts think has a higher ceiling at ILB. And of course there's Niklas ... different positions, of course, but his move from OLB to TE shows what I'm talking about when it comes to looking for the athletic ability and the skill first, and then worrying about learning the position. BK looks for the athlete who can do the things he needs a guy at a particular position to do, and then he worries about molding the athlete into the player that he wants.

But to be clear, I am NOT going so far as to predict that Chad Thomas will play ILB for us if he picks ND. Who knows where the staff sees him; I won't presume to. All I'm saying is that, based on a 2-minute highlight tape, my initial impression is that he appears to have the makings of a good ILB in Diaco's system. The staff may think he belongs at CAT or DE, and they are certainly the best judges of where to use their own players.

 

[NDWorld247]

Well, that's how I used to look at it too, but after a couple years of following this staff's recruiting, it's clear that one of BK's fundamental recruiting principles is to recruit ATHLETES with particular skills, not readymade position players. The way he moves guys around, I don't think he would agree that a guy has a significantly better chance of being successful in college if he plays the same position all the way through his career. I mean, Dan Fox was a high school safety who has become a solid ILB. Doug Randolph was a high school DE who played ILB in the Army AA game, who may start out at ILB for us and who some analysts think has a higher ceiling at ILB. And of course there's Niklas ... different positions, of course, but his move from OLB to TE shows what I'm talking about when it comes to looking for the athletic ability and the skill first, and then worrying about learning the position. BK looks for the athlete who can do the things he needs a guy at a particular position to do, and then he worries about molding the athlete into the player that he wants.

But to be clear, I am NOT going so far as to predict that Chad Thomas will play ILB for us if he picks ND. Who knows where the staff sees him; I won't presume to. All I'm saying is that, based on a 2-minute highlight tape, my initial impression is that he appears to have the makings of a good ILB in Diaco's system. The staff may think he belongs at CAT or DE, and they are certainly the best judges of where to use their own players.

Good post. After watching his film again I agree he has the athleticism to play ILB. I guess I just question the instincts when thinking about moving a DL to ILB, which is really hard to gauge by watching a highlight video. The staff has a plan for ILB and it certainly doesn't include solely bringing in guys that have strictly played ILB in HS.

Oh, and one more question...does Thomas remind you of Jarrett Grace?

I could be off base here, but after a quick glance at his film he reminds me of Jarrett Grace, in terms of his body type and the way he moves.

In terms of his build, he reminds me of Grace or Savaiinea.

The staff likes long, lean ILBs who are tough to throw over, like Jarrett Grace.

 

[Emcee77]

Good post. After watching his film again I agree he has the athleticism to play ILB. I guess I just question the instincts when thinking about moving a DL to ILB, which is really hard to gauge by watching a highlight video. The staff has a plan for ILB and it certainly doesn't include solely bringing in guys that have strictly played ILB in HS.

Oh, and one more question...does Thomas remind you of Jarrett Grace?

Haha. I seem to have caught Kelly's disease of Jarrett Grace on the brain. Kelly's expecting big things from him this year, and so am I.

Yeah, you definitely have a good point though. Rabasa and Utupo were both failures as DE-to-ILB converts. I've yet to see that particular switch work. Randolph or Thomas may be the one to prove it can be done.