Dwayne Thomas left New Orleans on Saturday morning with one
thing on his mind.
Commit to Les Miles before the day was done.
An hour shy of LSU’s Spring Game, Thomas sat down with Miles
to talk shop.
“At first I could tell he was feeling me out to see where I
was at, so I went ahead and let him know that I wanted to be a Tiger and that I
wanted it to happen right then,” Thomas said. “(Miles) was so happy. Over this
past month I’ve realized how much the LSU coaches really want me, and that made
all of this easier.
“I had offers just come in from schools like Alabama, Notre Dame and Nebraska, but after talking to the coaches at every school, I know
where I belong. I can tell the staff at LSU really wants me at home.”
The commitment comes not just in the shadows of a season
where New Orleans native Tyrann Mathieu burst onto the college football scene,
but on the same day that New Orleans native Ron Vinson recorded a team-high 10
stops in the afternoon’s scrimmage.
“It’s guys like Tyrann and Ronnie that made it easy on me,”
Thomas said. “As soon as the game ended those guys came over to me and welcomed
me to the family. We know it’s not just for New Orleans, but all of Louisiana.
“It’s a big reason why all those guys committed to LSU in
the first place, and the reason we are going to get more commitments from the
top in-state guys here soon. I can promise that. We are going to show the
country what Louisiana is about.”
Thomas joins Anthony Johnson as the second O.P. Walker
High commitment in two seasons and the first defensive back into the Class of
2012.
“I showed up a Charger, but I’m headed back home as a Tiger,”
laughed Thomas. “Now I just have to focus on getting to the top. I want to be
the best, from winning a state championship to becoming the top cornerback
prospect in the country. I am going to work nonstop until I get there. No
slacking.”
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Thomas enjoyed a team picnic after
the game before heading back for more fun in the Big Easy.
“Everyone back home can’t wait for me to get there and start
celebrating,” he said. “This is big news back home. They all wanted me at LSU.”
Recruiting coordinator Frank Wilson will visit his ninth
commitment next month once the staff hits the road for spring evaluations.
“The coaches will be down on May 9,” Thomas said. “It’s our
first day of practice, and that’s when they wanted to come. Coach Frank said
that they wanted to see me tear it up, so I’ll have to show out for them when
they get here. I want them to know that they are getting a great cornerback.”