Analysis: Hokies Land Under-The-Radar Prospect in Georgia Running Back Malachi Thomas

Thomas is currently unrated by most major recruiting services, but that should change in short order

Virginia Tech football earned its fourth commitment in the month of July on Wednesday, as 2021 Georgia running back Malachi Thomas announced his verbal pledge to the Hokies on social media.

@CoachLecht @VanceVice @CoachFuente @CJJosephThomas1 @deedeethomas61 @KendellRucker @RanceGillespie @hartcountyfb @HartCountyHigh @247Sports @Rivals @Rivals_Singer pic.twitter.com/t9ltFbIgz6

— Malachi HollyWood Thomas (@The__MT1) July 22, 2020

The 6'0" 180 lbs. Thomas committed to Virginia Tech over Kansas State, Duke, and UCF among others.

The coaching staff and fellow Virginia Tech commitments alike are very excited about the addition of Thomas to the class - but his verbal pledge did not improve Virginia Tech's status in regard to its recruiting ranking - yet.

That's because Thomas, inexplicably, is currently unrated by most major recruiting services, including 247Sports.

Thomas, a rising senior at Hart County High School, was named the Georgia 3A Offensive Player of the Year last fall after rushing for 1,942 yards, while also recording 638 yards receiving and 282 yards as a returner on special teams. In total, Thomas compiled 2,862 all-purpose yards and 36 touchdowns.

Despite all of this, Thomas remains an unranked prospect, which seems like a major miss by the recruiting outlets who pride themselves on accuracy in the player evaluation process.

Thomas will be ranked in the near future by most major recruiting services due to his size, speed, statistics, and now, his verbal commitment to Virginia Tech. 

He'll likely be pegged as a mid-to-high 3-star prospect once his film is fully evaluated. Once he is graded, he could very well end up as one of the more highly-rated prospects in the 2021 recruiting class for the Hokies.

Thomas was a bit of a late bloomer at the high school level, but really hit his stride as a junior, flashing the all-around ability that makes him a perfect fit for Virginia Tech's offense under coordinator Brad Cornelsen.

Thomas has the requisite size and speed necessary to become a major part of the running back equation for Virginia Tech in the near future. He is strong between the tackles, shows an ability to make defenders miss in the open field, and isn't afraid to run through players as well to gain needed extra yardage.

He also displays soft hands and elusiveness after the catch, which is a must in a Virginia Tech offense that loves to utilize its running backs and tight ends in the passing game. Thomas combines both his speed, size, and soft hands in the return game as well, where he appears to be a weapon on film each time he touches the ball on special teams.

If there is an area where Thomas could improve, it would be his pad level. He's a very upright runner, but makes up for that style with his athleticism in the open field and willingness to lower the pad level to run through defenders at the second and third levels of the defense.

There is no doubt that Thomas is one of the best offensive prospects in the 2021 class for the Hokies. He's flown under-the-radar at the high school level, and as a result, is a prime candidate to be a diamond in the rough prospect for Justin Fuente and Virginia Tech.