When rumors of De’Anthony Thomas’ decision to break his verbal commitment with the USC Trojans came about on Tuesday, I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
To be clear, I recognized the name, but knew little about Thomas as a player. Following recruiting isn’t an aspect of the sport I’ve taken to yet, so forgive me for my ignorance.
I consulted YouTube to see what Thomas was all about. Unsure of his position or national rankings, I was ready to observe Thomas with an open mind. A little more research revealed the senior from Crenshaw High School to be the 16th overall prospect in the country and top-ranked running back and cornerback according to ESPN.com.
The Los Angeles native was seen in several photos with an Oregon jacket and hat Tuesday, while he was still verbally committed to his hometown Trojans. He had entertained offers from four other Pac-10 schools not named Oregon or USC, and another from the Florida Gators.
Due to his size ­— 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds — some say Thomas will be a cornerback at the next level. And if his numerous highlight-reel interceptions and powerful tackles with closeout speed unseen from an 18-year-old hold true, the transition will be seamless.
At Oregon, however, Thomas is the prototypical running back for Chip Kelly’s zone-read offense. He gets to the sideline well, but knows when to make the right cuts and rely on the blockers in front of him.
He’s an impressive athlete — no one is questioning that — but where does he fit at Oregon?
That’s tough to tell at this point, and a redshirt season will undoubtedly be the first step.
Need you forget, Oregon already has four running backs capable of being a No. 1 back in any offense, with junior All-American LaMichael James and backup Kenjon Barner, while redshirt freshmen Lache Seastrunk and Dontae Williams are each chomping at the bit for their first game action. Oh, and I nearly forgot about Tra Carson, a powerful back from the same hometown as James and a coveted four-star recruit.
Seastrunk, a five-start recruit out of high school, like most true freshman, struggled in his first year of college. He didn’t take well to being a scout team player, though his attitude improved as the season went along. Williams surpassed expectations, and in a lot of people’s minds would have been more ready to play last season than Seastrunk.
My point here is: Thomas will need to be ready for a backseat role from day one. If he truly is the best prep running back in the nation then he’ll have plenty of opportunities to prove me wrong this spring and summer. I hope that’s the case, but I’d be more than a little surprised.
Then there’s the alternative: Thomas could play defense.
Oregon took only a few hits to the secondary this season and return both starting safeties (John Boyett and Eddie Pleasant) and one corner (Cliff Harris). Aside from the graduation of Talmadge Jackson III and the strange departure for the NFL by Javes Lewis, most of the unit returns intact.
Aside from Harris, however, Thomas has the physical skill-set to immediately challenge for playing time, if not a starting spot, should the team choose not to redshirt him. But, as I stated previously, I fully expect a redshirt season regardless of which side of the ball he falls on.
When Thomas visited Eugene last weekend, months after verbally committing to Lane Kiffin, he loved the campus and coaching staff — especially the speed of the game that’s become Oregon’s trademark.
His commitment, made late last night from Crenshaw High School, put the icing on the cake for the best recruiting class in Oregon football history. Doesn’t it feel like we’ve said that an awful lot this season? Everything has been the first, biggest or greatest in school history, and the pieces just keep falling into place.
The recruiting hangover from Oregon’s 12-0 regular season and BCS National Championship Game appearance won’t truly be felt until the 2012 class begins to make their decisions a year from now.
But that being said, I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited for spring football as I am this year.
Chalk that one up to Mr. Don Pellum.
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