Coach’s take: New commit Isaiah Thomas gets first round NFL comparison, can succeed at different spots
When new Miami Hurricanes commitment Isaiah Thomas arrived at Clearwater Academy Intl. from his home city Toronto, Canada this past July, the coaches at the school weren’t sure what to expect. Thomas, who had previously played two years of American style football at his Toronto high school, quickly made his presence felt.
The program’s defensive coordinator is Rich Stubler, who coached at the college level as Oregon’s coordinator in 1996-97 and was a coordinator in the CFL with numerous programs including the Toronto Argonauts and BC Lions.
“About two days after Isaiah got here, (Stubler) says `This kid is a national recruit, he can play anywhere in the country,’” Clearwater Academy Intl. head coach Jesse Chinchar said.
At that time Thomas had zero offers.
Fast-forward to the present, and he’s pushing 20.
So what did Stubler see in Thomas from the start?
“He’s an elite athlete, very long and probably the biggest thing I saw was he saw the field,” Stubler told CaneSport. “He can understand the route concepts and things we wanted to do, put himself in the right position to play. I coached 53 years, haven’t had many guys that naturally did that.
“He’s a kid that if I had him in the CFL the last couple of years I’d have started him. He’s faster than hell, durable, he can start basically anywhere he goes.”
Stubler has coached his share of top DBs over the years, including Walt Williams (7-year NFL DB with Minnesota), Felix Wright (8 years playing DB in NFL) and Kenny Wheaton (3 years in NFL as DB with Cowboys).
Wheaton was a third-round NFL draft pick out of Oregon.
“Kenny is a great player but not the the athlete that Isaiah is,” said Stubler, who runs a 3-3-5. “Kenny was a player. Isaiah is our SAM/nickel. He can play in the box, I think he’s a safety (at Miami). You blitz him some, he has the right skillset to do all those things. He could play corner, he ran track in Canada with a really good time, but I want him close to the ball.”
It took a while for Thomas to impress other coaches besides his own.
As last season went on, Thomas landed his first offer from Central Michigan. After the season it was Rutgers offering. Then, as more and more coaches came through and learned about Thomas and his ability level, the offers piled up. Thomas chose Miami over a major offer list that included Florida State, Oklahoma and Penn State.
“He’s a great one,” says Chinchar, who also coached current Hurricanes DL Akheem Mesidor. “I truly think If everyone went to see him this spring before he shut down his recruiting he’d get offers from everyone in the country. The timing is great for Miami.”
Thomas is rated a three-star, but per Chinchar has five-star upside.
“He’s 6-2 ½, has a 6-7 ½ wingspan, weighs almost 200 pounds,” Thomas said. “Before he got to us he ran a 10.8 100 meter and he’s only gotten bigger, faster and stronger. The biggest thing with him is the measurables, the size. He legitimately runs like a corner and hits like a linebacker. He’s just a really interesting blend of size, speed, athleticism, and to add to that he’s one of the more cerebral players I’ve been around.”
While Thomas is listed as a safety, Chinchar thinks he can move around in the box and in coverage as well.
The comparison here?
“The comparison people have given – like Brent Venables who was at Clemson when Isaiah Simmons (first round pick who plays linebacker but also drops in coverage) was there, they offered (Thomas) at Oklahoma, said he’s that kind of guy who can play everywhere,” Chinchar said. “Isaiah’s twitter says `STARbacker’. He could have played cornerback for us, linebacker last year. The only thing he couldn’t play for us was defensive line.
“He’s also one of the best blitz recognition and timing guys I’ve been around. It’s like Troy Polamalu – you can’t teach that at all.”
A big connection here in Miami landing Thomas was UM DB coach Jahmile Addae, who has ties to the high school program and landed Mesidor when he was coaching at West Virginia.
“The coaches at Miami, they said he can play everywhere as well,” Chinchar said. “The relationship with him and the coaches there played a big role, coach Addae. Addae has family in Canada, they know a lot of the same people. And (Thomas) seeing it last weekend pushed him over the edge (to commit).”
Thomas not fitting one position mold is one reason Chinchar says he is underrated as a 3-star.
“That, and it’s a quick rise to stardom,” Chinchar said. “He’s from Canada and about halfway through last year people were like `Who is this guy?’ It’s not like he was here for spring ball last year, that’s the big time to get recognized. It was really after the season when people hit the road that people said `Wait, let’s turn on the tape.’ And then it was offer, offer, offer.”
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