The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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56 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2017 COMMITMENT PROFILE On June 24, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy outside linebacker Charles Thomas became the first member of Michigan's 2019 class. Since he's originally from Fairburn (Ga.) Langs‑ ton Hughes High School, U‑M has essentially planted two flags into fertile recruiting grounds with one pledge. The 6‑0, 216‑pound Thomas com‑ mitted to Michigan while in Ann Ar‑ bor on an unofficial visit and couldn't be happier with his decision. He's already bonded well with a couple of U‑M's coaches, and that led to his verbal pledge. "I had built a really good relationship with C o a c h [ C h r i s ] P a r‑ tridge, and my relation‑ ship with Coach [Don] Brown is getting stron‑ ger, too. When I got on campus it just felt like home," Thomas said. "I sat down with Coach Brown and we went over plays. I realized Michigan's defense is meant for me. I also like the tradition and just the overall vibe. "Michigan gives me the best chance to be successful on and off the field, due to the academics and what Coach [Jim] Harbaugh has done with the program. I knew it was for me." Thomas is happy to be the pioneer for U‑M's 2019 class, but he defi‑ nitely doesn't want to be alone for too long. He's already got his sights set on friends from both Georgia and IMG Academy. "I just want to bring the meanest, toughest, most aggressive guys with me in the 2019 class. That's why I call it the 'Monster Class,'" Thomas said. "I have some good friends in Georgia and at IMG that fall in that monster category, and I want them to play with me. "I'm going after [Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four‑star running back] Noah Cain, [Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian five‑star strongside defensive end] Chris Hin‑ ton, [Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett cor‑ nerback] DJ Turner, [Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity running back] Steele Chambers, [Ho‑ gansville (Ga.) Calla‑ way four‑star offensive tackle] Keiondre Jones and [Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four‑ star offensive guard] Evan Neal just to name a few." All of the mentioned prospects are 2019 recruits who hold Michigan of‑ fers so working on them could defi‑ nitely end up being worth the effort. Mean and aggressive are two words that Thomas used to de‑ scribe players he wants to play with, but those words also apply to him. Though he's usually not the biggest linebacker on the field, he does deliver some of the biggest hits. Rivals.com Southeast recruit‑ ing analyst Chad Simmons has seen Thomas in action and loves his en‑ ergy and tenacity. "He's a smaller linebacker who stays around the ball. He's under six‑ feet tall, but he plays big," Simmons said. "He's an instinctive player, and he loves to hit. He comes up and re‑ ally lowers his shoulder and tackles through the player. "We haven't seen him at IMG yet to see if he's grown or filled out, but he's always been a strong, physical player despite not being the biggest for the position." Those abilities have allowed Thomas to accrue some impressive stats through two years of varsity football. As a freshman at Langston Hughes, Thomas racked up 102 tackles (five for loss). As a sophomore, his total went up to 132 tackles, with 10 stops for loss, three sacks and an interception. After his very productive sopho‑ more season, Thomas was an honor‑ able mention selection for The Atlanta Journal Constitution Georgia Class AAAAAA All‑State team. Now that he's at IMG, he only hopes to get better. "I have been at IMG since January and I love it," Thomas said. "I have developed good friendships with some really good people. I love the competition level there and how ev‑ eryone wants to be great." — Brandon Brown FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Charles Thomas loves contact — he's a Don Brown, Jim Harbaugh guy through and through. He's not the biggest linebacker at 6-0, 216 pounds, but he gets to ball carriers in a hurry and with bad intentions. He built like a running back and that allows him to move through and around traffic very well, and he really tackles well for a young linebacker. Areas Of Improvement: Early returns are that Thomas needs to work on his technique. Athletically and instinctively, he seems to be exceptional, but keep- ing his outside arm free, shooting the correct gaps, staying in position and other intricacies of the position need to be tightened up, and he'll definitely get that at IMG Academy. Michigan Player Comparison: Though he's just a youngster himself, Devin Bush looks like a slightly older version of Charles Thomas. Listed at 5-11 and 224 pounds coming out of high school, Bush was just a tad heavier than Thomas, who just put a bow on his sophomore season. Both Thomas and Bush have a nose for the football and fly around the field with reckless abandon. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com Thomas compiled 132 total stops, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception during his sophomore campaign at Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM U-M Gets 2019 Class Started With Peach State Linebacker Charles Thomas Thomas "I sat down with Coach [Don] Brown, and we went over plays. I realized Michigan's defense is meant for me. I also like the tradition and just the overall vibe."