LOS ANGELES—About the only knock on DeAnthony Thomas is his size, but even that doesn’t seem to be a hindrance.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Thomas is smart, fast and elusive, with sure hands to accompany his fleet feet. The Crenshaw High School running back is leaning toward following some close friends to Southern California, but he is keeping his options open.
Shortly after Mater Dei wide receiver Victor Blackwell verbally committed to USC, so did Thomas. Thomas is also pals with Max Wittek, Mater Dei’s talented quarterback, who committed early to the Trojans.
However, Thomas is still using his official visits to look at other schools. His “soft” commitment came before USC was hit with NCAA sanctions, resulting in the loss of scholarships and a two-year postseason ban. He plans to make an official visit to Washington in September.
Thomas ran for 902 yards and 12 touchdowns last season for 14-1 Crenshaw, the LA City section champions. He also caught three touchdowns.
The Cougars made a run at a state title, but fell to powerhouse De LaSalle in the championship game.
Thomas also ran track, and at the CIF state championships he ran the 200 meters in a wind-aided 20.61 seconds.
While he is being looked at as a cornerback at the college level, he has said that he would be interested in playing on both sides of the ball, like Charles Woodson. Theoretically he could play running back, safety, cornerback or wide receiver.
This summer he joined pal Blackwell on Keyshawn Johnson’s 1925 Elite team.
Thomas’ nickname is “The Black Mamba,” a la Kobe Bryant. Thomas refers to himself as simply “The Mamba,” and he’s brimming with confidence.
“I figure that if I become a DB now, then when I go to the next level—the college level—I’ll become a better player,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “Then when I get to the NFL level, I’ll make way more money than the running back, and I’ll stay in the league longer and have a longer career.”
