Sleeper WR emerges out of Vegas Tournament
Wide receiver Michael Thomas (6-3, 185) from Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft had his coming out party last weekend with a standout performance in a passing league tournament held in Las Vegas.
Not much is known about Thomas because he had to sit out his junior season due to CIF transfer rules, but if he continues perform this offseason the way he did in Vegas, and thankfully for Thomas, not everything stays in Vegas, his name could be well known by the end of spring.
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Thomas played on team 1925 that was coached by former NFL greats, who both played their college ball at USC, Keyshawn Johnson and Brian Kelly. Thomas has outstanding bloodlines as he is the nephew of Keyshawn Johnson.
"I had a great opportunity to compete against top the guys," Thomas said. "I was able to showcase myself.
"I was able to get back on the field and show people what I can do."
Though Thomas didn't get a chance to show his skills as a junior, he is still getting recruiting attention and mail from most of the Pac 10 including Cal, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Stanford, Washington, Washington State, plus schools such as Duke, North Carolina and UConn.
Thomas has also attended a couple of junior days, lately.
"I recently went to UCLA's junior and one at USC," Thomas said. "They were both great. It was a great opportunity.
"USC's junior day, the real key thing there was the intensity," Thomas said. "UCLA was great. I loved the dorms."
What is Thomas looking for in a college?
"The key things are academics," Thomas said. "I want a school with great academics because my overall goal is to go the NFL, but if that doesn't work out I want something to fall back on. I also want to go to a school that is going to have tip trainers to get me ready for the next level.
Does Thomas have a favorite early school?
"I love the Pac 10 because it is close to home," Thomas said. "I also like North Carolina because they are showing a lot of interest.
Thomas is planning on taking in the NIKE Camp that will be held in Los Angeles next month, then he is planning on attending UCLA's camp and USC's Rising Star Camp to be held in June. He is also hoping to get out to North Carolina to take in a camp.