Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532761
M A R C H 2 0 2 5 51 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / P L A Y E R B I O S / / / / / / / P enn State extended a verbal scholarship offer to three- star New Jersey safety Braz Thomas in March 2023, but if he was going to end up with the Nittany Lions, the coaching staff needed to see more from him be- fore taking that next step. A few months after he was of- fered, Thomas traveled to State College to participate in a camp, but he admittedly didn't have his best showing. He went on to intercept 6 passes during his junior season, showing Penn State's coaches what he could do, but they still needed to see if the 6-foot-2, 185-pound safety had improved athletically before setting up an official visit. By May 2024, Thomas had earned enough interest from other schools that he didn't have to camp again if he didn't want to. Nebraska and West Vir- ginia were prepared to take him, and they weren't the only schools that felt as though they had already seen enough. However, Thomas had made five vis- its to Penn State by that point in his re- cruitment. PSU was always the school he wanted to attend, and he was willing to do whatever it took to prove he could play at the highest level. So, instead of taking an official visit to a different school that first week- end in June, Thomas returned to State College to show safeties coach Anthony Poindexter and the staff what he was capable of. It proved to be a smart decision. Thomas put together one of the best p e r fo r m a n ce s o f a ny re c r u i t t h a t camped at Penn State last summer. In addition to running a 4.49-second 40- yard dash, he cleared 30 feet in the triple jump and turned in a sub-4.4-second time in the shuttle. For a player with his size and strength, the performance ended up being game- changing. Penn State's coaching staff was impressed. "They wanted to see how much I im- proved from last year with everything," Thomas said. "Their coaches were looking at my speed, how I did in DB drills, agility drills, everything. They explained how they were ex- tremely pumped to see major im- provement from last year. They were very excited I went out to the camp and got after it and earned the official visit." Thomas made that trip in late June. During his visit, he spent time with another New Jersey safety, Vaboue Toure, who had enrolled in January as part of the Lions' 2024 class. Between his meetings with the coaching staff and interactions with the players, Thomas knew that Penn State was where he wanted to be. He made his commitment public before he left campus on June 23. "As I grew older and got to know more about them going into high school, I knew that Penn State had one of the best programs for college football out there," Thomas said. "So, knowing that and then also the type of education they have in the classroom, I thought that would be the best of both worlds. "Plus, with me going up there a good amount of times, seeing their game en- vironment and getting to know their coaches, it always felt like the place that fit me best." — Ryan Snyder Thomas turned in a 4.49-second 40-yard dash time last summer, helping convince the coaching staff that he belonged in PSU's class. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER BRAZ THOMAS Camp performance sells Penn State's staff on New Jersey safety S | 6-2 | 185 Pleasantville Glassboro, N.J. Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Industry HHH 685 59 17 On3 HHH — 39 15 247Sports HHH — 121 35 ESPN HHH — 88 37 Rivals HHH — 67 15 Statistics • Thomas missed his senior season with an injury • Finished with 6 interceptions at his previ- ous school, Lower Cape May, as a junior Notable • Ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at Penn State's camp in June 2024 • Enrolled at PSU in January Recruitment • Committed to the Nittany Lions on June 23, 2024 • Recruited by safeties coach Anthony Poin- dexter • Picked Penn State over Nebraska and West Virginia • Officially visited on June 21, 2024 2025 Projection Thomas missed his entire senior season be- cause of an injury, but he did enroll in January and has been participating in winter workouts. However, the addition of junior King Mack via the transfer portal should give the Nittany Li- ons enough depth at safety to allow Thomas to redshirt this fall. They Said It Penn State recruiting coordinator Alan Zemaitis: "I got to see him in person at camp. … He has really good length. Then he ran a high 4.4 [40-yard time]. So, you're like, 'Damn, this young man is a 6-2 kid who can run a 4.4.' Those guys don't pop up every day in our region." T H E T H O M A S F I L E