Archives > Sports > Schools
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Football: Receiver Thomas commits to Colorado
BY JUSTIN THOMAS, jthomas@acnpapers.com
The Colony receiver Gerald Thomas became the second Cougar to announce his collegiate intentions as the senior-to-be made a verbal commitment to the University of Colorado this week.
Thomas received 11 scholarship offers, choosing the Buffaloes over Arizona, Arizona State, Iowa and others.
"It feels great," Thomas said. "They have a new staff up there at Colorado but (head) coach (Jon) Embree and the offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy have made me feel great about going up there. It's a good school and program and it will be great to be able to play in the Pac 12."
"It's an exciting time and is a great thing for Gerald," said Rudy Rangel, The Colony coach. "He's a great player and had a few choices to choose from. I know he's excited but at the same time is relieved to get it done with. He's gotten phone calls from the coaches there and from the newspapers up there and we're very happy for him."
As a junior, Thomas demonstrated his play-making ability, leading the team with 71 catches for 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns, while also averaging large numbers on his kickoff returns.
"We knew early on Gerald would get a lot of attention," said Todd Allen, The Colony offensive coordinator. "It was an exciting process and now he can enjoy his senior year and focus on continuing to improve as a football player. On the field, he has great top-end speed, good hips and is a solid route runner. He's just an explosive player and his numbers show that."
Thomas said in addition to receiving, the Buffaloes will try to find different ways to get him the ball.
"They said they may use me like a Percy Harvin type," he said. "Receiver, kickoff and punt returns and maybe even a little wildcat."
Allen said Thomas is working on becoming more of a leader entering the upcoming season, while continuing to improve his play on the field.
"He's already headed in the right direction in terms of becoming more of a vocal leader," Allen said. "Now he can just focus on school and being a football player. A lot of times, for a 17 or 18-year-old kid, the recruiting can be a distraction. Instead of playing, you're wondering about who is coming to watch you play and how you perform. Gerald doesn't have to worry about any of that."
"We've had a good offseason so far," Thomas added. "Garrett and I and the other receivers have a great chemistry. We're on the same page with our routes and timing. We've done well in our 7-on-7 games and have been working hard to get ready for the season."
While the recruitment of Thomas is complete, other players at The Colony are still in the midst of firming up their collegiate plans.
"We have a bunch of guys that are still in the mix," Allen said. "They all need to have good senior years and post good numbers, just as they did last season. We could have a big signing class and the recruitment of high-profile guys like Gerald and Garrett really helps everyone out. It creates a buzz for the city when you see guys from The Colony on the rivals websites and such. And the other players receive a lot of attention from recruiters that may have originally been here to recruit Gerald or Garrett. When they're out here, they see the talent we have all over the field, and those guys get noticed a lot more."
Other players currently being recruited include Daniel Boyd, Geoffrey Chan, Sir Wells, Josh Crose and Erick Mitchell.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: The Colony «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
