Settling In: Florida State DB Azareye'h Thomas Feeling Comfortable Ahead Of Sophomore Year
Florida State’s Fall Camp is in full swing and the ‘Noles are less than a month away from kicking off the 2023 football season. Wednesday’s practice saw an aggressive passing attack from the offense that thrust the wide receivers and defensive backs into the spotlight. Greedy Vance, Conrad Hussey Jr., and company faced off against the likes of Johnny Wilson and Deuce Spann in some heated matchups for a large majority of the day.
As Mike Norvell noted in his post-practice interview, the Seminoles have no shortage of talent in the secondary, and sophomore defensive back Azareye’h Thomas is a key member of the unit.
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As a freshman, Thomas appeared in 11 games for the Seminoles in 2022. He recorded 14 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, one pass breakup, and notched his first collegiate interception in the game against the University of Miami. Now in his second year with the program, the former four-star prospect stands to play an elevated role within the defensive secondary, and he’s welcoming the increased workload that comes with it.
“I would classify [my comfortability] as pretty high,” said Thomas. “Coming into camp, my main focus was just staying consistent…So really just feeling comfortable within the defense, I feel like, it's at an all-time high right now. If coach says he’s going to put me somewhere today, I’m going to pay attention and I’m going to apply what I took in the meeting room out on the field. I’ve been staying consistent with that.”
Standing at 6 foot 2, Thomas often finds himself matched up against receivers with a larger stature. During camp, coaches have placed the young cornerback into matchups against the likes of 6 foot 7 Johnny Wilson. When asked about the challenge of guarding receivers like Wilson, Thomas stated, “I embrace it each and every day, especially going against Johnny. To me, [Wilson] is one of the best receivers, if not the best receiver in college football right now.” He goes on to explain that he takes his face-offs with Wilson to heart in the hopes of making both himself and the receiver better in the process.
Thomas’ approach to guarding Wilson, for example, has evolved over time. The defensive back laughed as he explained that he tried to get too physical with the 6’7” receiver at first, but soon learned the hard way that, in his own words, “he’s just going to move you.” Now, Thomas claims to take a more patient approach when guarding Wilson. “Of course, every receiver that I line up against I’m like, ‘I have to be on my stuff.’ But, when I line up against Johnny, I’m really going to have to lock in.”
The Florida State football program has reaped the rewards of hiring position coach Pat Surtain on the recruiting trail as of late, but it's the effect the former pro-bowler has on his defensive backs that has Azarey'h Thomas talking. "He's just straight to the point," commented Thomas about Surtain's coaching style.
"I feel like a lot of DB coaches, they try to be pretty with it. I feel like Coach Surtain is straight to the point, straight to the technique, and all about the basics. Because you can't grow if you don't have a foundation. With him, he lays the foundation each and every day.
When asked about Florida State's preseason No. 8 ranking, Azareye'h Thomas says that it's not the main focus.
"The outside expectations, it's cool. But, we know what we have to accomplish and we know what we have to do to accomplish that. I feel like that's all that matters...Our only limit and our only opponent is ourselves."
Thomas talks about Florida State's newcomers, Surtain's impact, and the focus within the program in his full interview below:
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