Chase Thomas, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound three star defensive end from Walton High School in Marietta, Ga., officially visited Stanford last weekend (Sept. 22).
"It was a pretty good trip," Thomas said. "The best part was just meeting all the coaches and players and getting to know them better. The coaches are all young and very personable. It's like a big family there. Everyone is excited about the direction the program is heading in. They really believe in the coaches and I think they are back on the right track."
Thomas' player host was Cardinal cornerback Corey Gatewood. Another highlight of his official visit was the game against Oregon. "The stadium is actually really nice and the game was a lot of fun," he said. "Oregon pulled out the victory in the second half, but Stanford never gave up and you could tell they just have a different attitude this year."
The Cardinal are recruiting him for both linebacker and defensive end and Thomas says they are recruiting him the hardest.
Although it wasn't an official visit, Thomas attended the Auburn/Kansas State game on Sept. 1. "I really love the atmosphere there," Thomas said. "It's big time football and I love the SEC. They have great coaches at Auburn and they have a young team that is just gonna keep getting better. They have a really tough schedule and struggled a little, but I don't really care about that."
Thomas says that Stanford and Auburn are his two favorites and they both lead solidly over LSU, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. All of his favorites have offered and Scout.com's No. 57 defensive end says he has approximately 20 total scholarships.
"I'd like to play early and just be comfortable wherever I go," he said. "Georgia Tech is only 30 minutes away, which is nice but it's not a big deal.
"I like LSU too because they are a dominant program and are always known for their defense," Thomas said. "They produce great players every year."
Growing up, Thomas says he followed Florida State. "My dad went there (no sports) and my brother (no sports) goes there now," he said. "Coach Bowden is legendary, but I'm not really looking at them."
Some of the other scholarship offers Thomas has are from South Carolina, Kentucky, Louisville, Purdue, Duke, Maryland, Florida, Mississippi State, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan State, among others.
"I really like Stanford and Auburn," he said. "Stanford has great academics and I'd be set for the rest of my life if I went there.
"Auburn is close to home (under two hours) and I'd have a lot of support if I went there. They have a larger stadium and people go a lot crazier there than at Stanford. The fans are just loud and crazy the whole game, but I'm sure once Stanford starts winning more the fans will get louder too."
Thomas says he has no timetable for making a decision.
Walton is 3-1 and Thomas already has seven sacks. He can bench 300 pounds, squat 450 and has a 31-inch vertical jump.
"Coaches tell me that I have great hands and quickness off the ball," he said. "I have a knack for the ball and great speed and vision. I'm really aggressive up front too.
"I want to improve my overall technique and get stronger," he said. "I want to work on getting blockers off better."
He reports a 3.8 core GPA and a 1520 three-part SAT.