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April 30, 2003 The underlying theme of Louisiana recruits for the class of 2004 seems to be speed, and another burner from this state is Reserve (La.) East St. John tailback Derron Thomas.After making the move from West St. John to East St. John before his junior season, Thomas rushed for 1,589 yards, an average of better than 10 yards per carry, and 20 touchdowns for a squad that finished 8-2 and lost to the eventual state runners-up in the playoffs. Thomas is also a threat in East St. John?s passing attack, where he caught 13 balls for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Thomas is a track standout as well and runs in the 10.7 range in the 100 meters. Speed is definitely the strength of Thomas? game and while he prefers to go outside, he does not shy away from grinding for yards up the middle. Track has not taken away from Thomas? size and he currently stands at six feet and weighs 190 pounds. When he is not on the track, Thomas is in the weight room and has elevated his bench press up to 240 pounds. Miami, LSU and Michigan lead the pack of current favorites for Thomas so far, and Thomas has already made a trip to the home state Tigers for a spring practice. However, Michigan is right there in the running for his services. ?I really like Michigan. Michigan always has those big linemen and they always are high draft picks. I?m pretty even as far as (his top three) are concerned,? Thomas noted. LSU and Michigan State have sent written offers and Thomas added that Michigan has said there is a scholarship available for him if he decides to take it. Two East St. John recruits, Kirston Pittman and Vegas Franklin, signed letter of intents with major Division I colleges in the most recent class and Thomas said he gleaned some information from watching his two teammates go through the process. ?They were laid back and didn?t really say too much about it, but it was a shock to me when they signed. Kirston talked about Texas and Michigan a lot, but ended up at LSU,? Thomas remarked. Staying in state will not be a factor is his decision, but Thomas is definitely looking to play early. He would like to major in computer programming in college and he currently holds a 3.58 GPA. ?It won?t make a difference as far as the location of the school I choose. I?ll look at how early I?m going to play, the coaches? loyalty, the players and the environment,? Thomas mentioned. Despite impressive statistics in his junior season, Thomas thinks he could have done better if he would have had more time to learn the East St. John offense before stepping onto the field. With a majority of the team?s offense returning next season, Thomas expects East St. John to make a legitimate run at the state championship. ?I was just playing cornerback at West St. John before I transferred,? Thomas noted. ?I missed all of the summer and only came at the first day of practice so I didn?t really come into my own until the third or fourth game of the season. I think I could have had over 2,000 yards (last season).? Thomas will travel to Auburn for the Nike Camp in May and hopes to have his decision made by summer. |
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