Indiana continued a run of high level commitments on Friday afternoon when class of 2022 3-star defensive end Richard Thomas committed to play for the Hoosiers.
Thomas is listed as the No. 399 overall player in the 2022 class and the No. 26 strong-side defensive end according to the 247Sports Composite.
He announced his decision on Friday on his Twitter page.
“First off I want to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to play the game I love and without him I wouldn’t be in this position today,” Thomas wrote in a graphic attached to his post. “I’d like to thank my family, teammates and coaches for having faith in me and giving me lots of support. I’d like to thank all of the coaches that have been reaching out to me and recruiting me throughout the whole process.
“With that being said, after speaking with God and my family I will be announcing that I am committed to Indiana University!!!”
Let’s get to work🔴⚪️ #GoHoosiers #Committed @IndianaFootball @IndianaTough @CoachTee34 @CoachAllenIU @CoachCwarren @Coachleerose pic.twitter.com/Hz8tHKFabi
— Richard Thomas Jr. 5️⃣ (@CINCOGOLIVEE) May 14, 2021
As a junior at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla., Thomas had 64 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 7 sacks and one interception and helped the Patriots win the Class 5A state title in 2020. . He has totaled 14 sacks and 24 tackles for loss over the past two seasons according to MaxPreps. Thomas was a first team All-State selection in class 5A for 2020. He is coached by former NFL cornerback Patrick Surtain at American Heritage.
On film Thomas appears to have the potential to play inside or out on the defensive line depending on his development in Bloomington. He could also play the hybrid defensive end/linebacker bull position in IU’s 4-2-5 scheme.
The 6-foot-2 and 255 pound Thomas chose IU over Pittsburgh, Mississippi State, Penn State and Syracuse. In total Thomas had nearly 30 scholarship offers. He is scheduled to visit Indiana in June but chose to commit before making the trip to Bloomington.
Thomas is Indiana’s third commit in the 2022 class, joining Ohio State flip Dasan McCullough and Arkansas based linebacker Kaiden Turner.
For more information on IU football recruiting, GO HERE.
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