Cal Football: Freshman Jaivian Thomas `Antsy' To Play But Willing to Work

Cal freshman running back Jaivian “The Jet” Thomas is accustomed to getting places in a hurry. He rushed for more than 4,000 yards his junior and senior seasons at Oakland’s McClymonds High and helped set a school record in the 4x100 relay.

He says he has outsprinted fleet teammate Jaydn Ott every time they have raced.

Thomas averaged a stunning 14.5 yards per rush in high school and he is gaining 8.4 yards each time he touches the ball so far for the Bears.

With Ott and graduate transfer Isaiah Ifanse ahead of him on the depth chart, Thomas has gotten limited opportunity so far — eight rushes for 73 yards and two catches for 11 more.

“I’m very antsy,” he said when asked about getting more carries. “I continue to get better and show what I can do in practice. I’m just ready. Every opportunity I get, I’m going to be there.”

But Thomas, who has climbed to third string, understands the process of learning and working toward a goal. His initial goal arriving at Cal was to get onto the field as a freshman. He’s done that and his opportunities are increasing.

“Transferring from high school to college, it’s kind of hard to adjust. I feel like I’ve done a good job of that, picking things up quick,” he said. “I’m just maturing as the weeks go.”

Running backs coach Aristotle Thompson has tried to move the process along by assigning 23-year-old Ifanse to be the 18-year-old rookie’s Friday night roommate before games.

“Isaiah is a very mature, very cerebral guy who has a great understanding of the game of football but also of life. You bring a young guy in as a freshman and you want him to lean on a veteran like Isaiah, just to talk about the preparation,” Thompson said.

“You’re in the hotel, your first game of the season and you don’t know what the environment is like. Normally I don’t go to sleep until midnight because in high school I’m playing at 7 o’clock. We play at 1 o’clock, so hey, we’re going to bed early. We’re stretching at night.

“All those little things that a veteran like Isaiah has learned and had someone show him. The design was to get him to teach the Jet how to do that.”

Thomas said the Friday night collaborations have been wide-ranging and valuable.

“So we have deep conversations about certain things on and off the field, how to become a better person and football player. He’s just helped me become better on both ends,” Thomas said.

Thompson said Ifanse has even begun to teach Thomas about investing in the stock market.

Asked to identify other advice he’s gotten, Thomas said Ifanse told him, “Just be me. Stop over-thinking. When I first came into college I was over-thinking a lot and it kind of messed me up in the beginning. But over time I started trusting myself and being more comfortable.”

The Bears are happy with Thomas being himself, but other Pac-12 schools weren’t interested. His other scholarship offers came from San Jose State, Rice, UC Davis, Army, Sacramento State and Northern Colorado.

A good student and accomplished player on teams that went 41-3 during his varsity career, Thomas remains a bit mystified why others didn’t come calling.

“Honestly, to this day I don’t know,” he said. "I feel my size had a huge part in it. I had a lot of tools in my toolbox — my speed and I was a very physical kid. I just wasn’t that big.”

Now listed at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, Thomas played his senior season at McClymonds weighing 162 pounds.

Thomas said it’s all worked out for the best. He hoped to stay close to home to his family could watch him play, and was thrilled when Cal offered.

Thompson said the Bears weren’t put off by Thomas’ size because there was much they liked about him.

“When you have a guy that’s in your backyard you have a lot of people who continue to inform you about the young man. Not only what he’s doing on the field but just the type of character that he has, the background he has, his family. They let you know what he brings to the table,” Thompson said in the video above.

Thompson also got the chance to watch Thomas in person on more than one occasion. He saw the speed, but more than that.

“When you get to see him up close and personal, you see the toughness,” Thompson said. “You see him play behind his pads. You see him playing both sides of the ball. And to play for back-to-back state championships on a team with 22 guys, you’ve got some mental toughness about you.”

Thompson said Thomas got an endorsement from McClymonds coach Michael Peters, who has sent dozens of players to the college ranks. “Coach Peters knows a thing or two about guys that can play in the Pac-12.”

Thomas played both ways in high school, coming off the field only for field goals and PATs.

“You see this guy putting the team on his back,” Thompson said. “You watch the tape of McClymonds last year — and don’t get me wrong, there were some other good players on that team — but everybody knew who the ball was going to. Everybody.

“Speed is the easy thing to see. It’s how he sees the game, how he understands working on his contact balance, how he will evade tacklers.”

Thompson said size has not been an issue at all with Thomas, although the coaching staff hopes to get him to to perhaps 185 pounds at some point. He can be an every-down back, his coach said, “as good as he wants to.”

Thomas, aware of McClymonds’ tremendous athletic history, is eager to add to that legacy.

“You have to believe in what you can do and how hard you work for it,” he said. “I’ve never been the biggest person but I’ve always had the heart and toughness to carry that on and play big.”

Cover photo of Jaivian Thomas courtesy of Instagram

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo