Lamaar Thomas, the 5-foot-11, 178-pound running back/wide receiver from Friendly High School in Fort Washington (Md.) says he has approximately 28 scholarship offers and has narrowed focus down to six favorites.
Thomas, ranked No. 22 in the East by Scout.com, favors Illinois slightly over Tennessee, Ohio State, Florida, North Carolina and Maryland. All of his favorites have offered as well as Michigan, Boston College, Minnesota, Mississippi, Virginia, Virginia Tech and several others.
"I went to a spring practice at Illinois and really liked it," Thomas said. "I like how they are improving and they'll definitely be getting better and better. I like the coaches a lot, especially coach Ron Zook."
Thomas, a four-star recruit, says that the Illini are recruiting him as an athlete. "I'd love to be used as an athlete and play both running back and wide receiver because I can't really decide on a position," he admitted. "If I knew which position I wanted to play it would be easier to narrow things down more."
Thomas says he wants to make his final decision in September. "I'll narrow it down to five or less by the end of June. I haven't really visited too many schools yet, so I'd like to check a few places out first. I'd like to play and not just sit and wait. I also really want to be comfortable with the coaches and players wherever I go."
Thomas says that Tennessee is also recruiting him as an athlete, while both Ohio State and Florida want him at receiver. His hometown school, Maryland, is recruiting him to carry the ball.
"Maryland is the first school that offered me and they are only about 20 minutes away, but that doesn't matter," Thomas said. "I rooted for Maryland because it's my hometown, but Florida State was always my favorite team. It was just something about them. I just watched them and they won a lot."
Another team that Thomas admits to liking a lot growing up was Tennessee. "They have great fans and a good program overall.
"Florida has a great program too. I love their offense and style of play," Thomas said. "They have a great offense and I think I'd fit in there. My (former) teammate, Joe Haden, signed with them in February and it would be cool to know somebody."
Thomas has the Gators high on his list, but their new rivals Ohio State are also up there. "I've been to Ohio State for a game once and the stadium is huge," he said. "It's like over 100,000 people and that's really cool. I like how they try to have a balanced attack and they always have a good offense too."
Another thing that Thomas is looking for in a program is a place where he'll be able to run track in addition to playing football. "I want to be able to do both sports in college," he said. "That will be a big part of my decision."
Thomas runs the 100 and 200m, with best times of 10.30 and 21.40 seconds, respectively.
He finished his junior season with 42 carries for over 800 yards and also caught 22 balls for over 350 yards.
"I have great speed, quickness and vision," Thomas said. "I also have a great knowledge of the game. I'm a good mover and can make a cut and use my speed to get away, but I still want to improve my route-running and hands. I want to catch the ball better."
Thomas reports a 2.8 core GPA and an 860 SAT.