Emerging Safety Isaiah Thomas discusses first unofficial visit to Florida State
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Florida State's coaching staff has been putting out a plethora of new offers over a multitude of classes throughout the month of January.
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Last week, the Seminoles extended a scholarship to rising senior and emerging safety Isaiah Thomas. It didn't take long for Thomas to make his first trip to campus as he arrived for Junior Day on Saturday morning alongside a delegation of prospects from Clearwater Academy International.
Reflecting after the trip, Thomas enjoyed his time around campus and meeting with the coaching staff.
"It's really huge. The facility is great. I talked to coach Surtain and then I talked to coach Fuller. Me and coach Surtain went over a bunch of coverages and plays," Thomas said to NoleGameday's Dustin Lewis. "He's really smart and knows the game unlike any other. And then I was talking to coach Fuller, he's amazing and has a great personality. All about business and can joke with you as well. I just love it here, it's nice."
A native of Toronto, Canada, Thomas made the leap to the United States in July of 2022 prior to his junior season. It was a move that he had been preparing for over the last couple of years.
"Before I came to Clearwater I played at a school called Football North. It's basically a school up in Canada. Travel all the way down to the states, play all of our games in the states," Thomas said. "Coach Jesse at Clearwater, my dad has been talking to him ever since I was in eighth or ninth grade. It was all just like a when would I get down there. I couldn't go down there in eighth or nine grade, I was too young. Before junior year, I decided to make the change. Got down here in July of 2022, it's been really good since."
Thomas was in the midst of a standout campaign this past season before suffering an injury after five games. He finished with 27 tackles and one interception that he returned 72 yards for a touchdown, per MaxPreps. Despite needing to undergo surgery, schools remained intrigued by his frame and potential.
"It just kind of happened so fast. I was playing my season. Mid-season got hurt, had to go get surgery. Got called up by Central Michigan, they offered me, that was really big for me. A couple of weeks later, Rutgers offered me," Thoma said. "I thought that a lot of schools wouldn't want to like pay attention to me anymore just because of the injury. But a lot of schools I guess see the potential in me and just take the jump."
Over the last week, Thomas has seen his recruitment develop quickly. He's earned offers from Florida State, Oklahoma, Miami, Western Michigan, UCF, and Penn State in a span of just a few days.
Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller pulled the trigger after recently dropping by his high school.
"He said the main thing was that he felt that I was really aggressive and that I can play anywhere in the secondary. I can even come down in the box and play a little bit of SAM," Thomas said. "He was saying that my pursuit, the angles I take, and my tackling comes really natural. He was just saying that my instincts on the football field come very naturally and that stood out to him."
New defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr. is still getting acquainted at Florida State. Regardless, Thomas was impressed by their conversation and knows of his status as a former All-Pro.
"He just got here a couple of days ago. He's still understanding, getting to learn everything, all of their coverages and plays and stuff like that. Once he learns everything, I'll be able to talk to him more about all of the coverages," Thomas said. "But even just talking to him about the stuff that he didn't even know and that he was dissecting, it was like he knew everything already. I just know for a fact that he's really smart and that he'll get everything down fast. He's a legend."
The Seminoles are building a presence at CAI after signing four-star offensive tackle Luacs Simmons as a member of their 2023 class. Simmons, also an international prospect, has already been telling Thomas about his experiences at Florida State.
"He was just saying he loves this place. Just yesterday, they had their conditioning drills. He hated it, if I'm going to be honest, he hated it (laughs). A bunch of long sprints. That's not Lucas's specialty, sprinting," Thomas said. "He was just saying that right now he's like 28% body fat but he knows for a fact after being here for a year it's going to drop drastically. He said that the culture here is amazing, the locker room is amazing. Everyone gets along really well, especially the freshmen. Everybody loves each other, everybody gets along with each other, everyone wants to play for each other. It's just amazing."
Thomas is planning to return to Florida State in March to view a spring practice.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound safety is currently unranked in the 2024 class. Expect that to change in the near future.
READ MORE: Seminoles stand on top for four-star WR TJ Abrams following two days on campus
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