'20 TN DT Omari Thomas (UT SIGNEE)

Just got off the phone with my Mom and realized I've known this kid since he was 5 years old. His mom is a school teacher at St Paul's elementary in Memphis and she taught my little sister in 3rd & 5th grade. His older sister has been over my Mom's house several times as her and my younger sister are close friends. Their dad was a pretty good football player and played for Arky St. Bad news is his big sister goes to Ole Miss and the family is very close, including very close to his Grandma. Good news, Mom is concerned with probation associated with Ole Miss program. Will update as I find out more.

OD?


i kiiiiid.
 
Just got off the phone with my Mom and realized I've known this kid since he was 5 years old. His mom is a school teacher at St Paul's elementary in Memphis and she taught my little sister in 3rd & 5th grade. His older sister has been over my Mom's house several times as her and my younger sister are close friends. Their dad was a pretty good football player and played for Arky St. Bad news is his big sister goes to Ole Miss and the family is very close, including very close to his Grandma. Good news, Mom is concerned with probation associated with Ole Miss program. Will update as I find out more.
Close2Omari imo
 
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OD?


i kiiiiid.
Hell no, i don't care nearly enough to be OD. I may talk to my Mom 20 more times before I bring up this kids name. Only reason she brought him up is because we were talking about my little cousin who's starting QB for Whitehaven this upcoming season.
Then she goes "Mrs. Thomas son has scholarship offers from everybody". I'm like wait, what's her son name again??
 
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Who’s going to be out OT in this class? Any chance Thomas gets moved back to Offense after the plethora of DL we look poised to sign?
Simonton said:
Thomas wants to play DL but OT is always an option. Have mentioned before but his HS HC, who he really respects, believes Omari could be a first round draft pick as an OT. ... As for other targets, Dumervil tops the board but Vols battling Oklahoma, LSU and others there. Morris is a swing guy who UT sees as an eventual tackle. Other names right now include the JUCOs who all were on campus in June (Tratroe, Reed and Stewart.)
 
Omari Thomas of Briarcrest breaks down his top 6 schools, including Alabama and Tennessee

Basically says that his official visits will be Tennessee, Bama, Arkansas, A&M, and the last one he's deciding between Ole Miss and Auburn. The reporter asks him about each of his top 6 schools.

Alabama:
Alabama's winning tradition and success in the NFL Draft stand out to Thomas.

"At Alabama, you go in, work hard and you have that mind-set of wanting to be the best, thinking you can be the best and that you can get to the league," Thomas said. "Everybody knows it’s kind of a guarantee that if you go to Alabama, do what you need to do, and stay healthy, you can easily get to the league."

However, he said he is attracted to the idea of helping whichever program he chooses reach an even higher level of success. Alabama, which has won five of the past 10 national championships, doesn't fit with that particular goal.
"But the way I think – not saying that I wouldn’t consider Alabama, but I think that I want to help a school build a legacy, not necessarily join one," Thomas said. "Joining one wouldn’t hurt, but it’s a situation that I’d have to look into and see if I fit there and if I’m comfortable there."

Arkansas:
Thomas sees Arkansas as a program that recruits Memphis hard and still has room to grow.
"What’s funny is that I kind of consider Arkansas as an in-state school because they have so many Memphis people there," Thomas said. "They recruit Memphis hard, and what sold me on them is just building a program and seeing how I’d fit with their program and knowing people."

Auburn: For Auburn, Thomas noted he had good relationships with coach Gus Malzahn and offensive line coach J.B. Grimes.

"Coach Malzahn is a great dude. Coach Grimes is a great dude," Thomas said. "Just getting the chance to build a relationship with those guys has been really nice."
He also said that Auburn is the only school in his top six that is recruiting him as an offensive lineman. The others want him on defense.
"Auburn, they talk to me as both. I can see myself being more of an offensive tackle at Auburn," Thomas said.

Ole Miss:
Thomas said Ole Miss has been recruiting him longer than any other school in his top six. He said his interest in the Rebels cooled when former coach Hugh Freeze resigned in 2017, but he formed relationships with the new Ole Miss coaching staff that helped the Rebels regain their competitiveness in his recruitment.

"Things happened at the school. Everyone knows that. And it just kind of chilled out because I didn’t know how I would feel going into that situation," Thomas said. "But, I just looked at the new coaching staff and how they’re recruiting, and they still recruit based on not letting what happened in the past distract you from what can happen in the future. That’s what they’re selling."

Tennessee:
It appears as if Tennessee is giving Thomas a similar pitch to the one that helped the Vols land Lausanne running back Eric Gray.

"They’re the in-state school. You get a good feeling there. It’s comfortable. It’s a program that’s been down a little bit but will be on the rise with the new coaching staff," Thomas said. "That’s what they’re selling – come here and build this program back to where it used to be. And I like the idea of coming to build a program."

He also said that coach Jeremy Pruitt is "the kind of coach you want."

"Coach Pruitt is a laid-back guy, but he’s going to get on you. It’s not going to be easy there. He’s not a pushover," Thomas said. "But he’s a players coach, and that's the kind of coach you want – someone who will get on you but talk to you as well."

Texas A&M:
Thomas said that he prefers playing defense over offense because of the opportunity to make plays and have his name called. Texas A&M told him he'll have the opportunity to make those plays as a part of the Aggies' defense.

"They’ll have me playing as a three technique at 'D' tackle. And they told me its not a defense where you’re just locked in against the offensive lineman for the linebackers to make plays; you’re going to make plays, so that's what I like there," Thomas said. "And my relationships with the coaching staff are very good, and I just didn’t have any bad vibes there, either."
 
"But the way I think – not saying that I wouldn’t consider Alabama, but I think that I want to help a school build a legacy, not necessarily join one," Thomas said. "Joining one wouldn’t hurt, but it’s a situation that I’d have to look into and see if I fit there and if I’m comfortable there."

I like that...

Also doesn't have Ole Miss as a guaranteed OV. I figured they were the biggest competition. Big IMO. My top instate want outside of KL.
 
"Everybody knows it’s kind of a guarantee that if you go to Alabama, do what you need to do, and stay healthy, you can easily get to the league."

Hmmm what did that baron Tweet say again 🤔
 
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Read the part on Alabama closely again. It seriously sounds like intern Lyle is his lead recruiter.
“...thinking you can be the best.”

Then read about Tennessee. “That’s the kind of coach you want”
 
Read the part on Alabama closely again. It seriously sounds like intern Lyle is his lead recruiter.
“...thinking you can be the best.”

Then read about Tennessee. “That’s the kind of coach you want”
If I’m Thomas I don’t want to be at a school that is dumb enough to employ Butch Jones.
 
I was thinking the same thing. It seems to be the one area we are having the least amount of luck recruiting, and I can't understand why.

We're gonna get Baron and Oxendine. Hopefully Bailey sticks as well. After that I hope we get 2 or 3 more elite DL because it's our biggest position of need hands down.
 
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I was thinking the same thing. It seems to be the one area we are having the least amount of luck recruiting, and I can't understand why.
I believe we take 6 DL. And some new names will emerge as the season plays out. You know how this staff is now. They dont divulge much info. Fully expect some to commit that we have not been discussing.
 
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I believe we take 6 DL. And some new names will emerge as the season plays out. You know how this staff is now. They dont divulge much info. Fully expect some to commit that we have not been discussing.
I agree here, plus there will be kids emerge in their senior year that we know nothing about at this point. It happens every year.
 
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