ESPN 150 Watch List defensive back, Bernard Thomas, saw his Blue Springs High School teammate, running back Darrian Miller, commit to the Kansas Jayhawks, and now Kansas fans are hoping that the 5′10″ 175 pound cornerback will follow Miller to Lawrence. While Miller’s commitment is certainly a plus for the Jayhawks, Thomas isn’t ready to join his teammate just yet.
‘Revis Island’, the nickname given to current NY Jets cornerback Daryl Revis, isn’t the only defensive back island in the ocean. ‘Teezy Island’ what the name given to Thomas by his teammates. ‘Teezy Island’ doesn’t see many visitors throughout the football season. With the 7 receptions that Thomas allowed in 2009, ‘Teezy Island’ only saw 7 visitors. That makes for a lot of lonely Friday nights on the island for Thomas, but that’s the price he pays for being a great shut down cornerback.
The ability to completely shut down one side of the field is exactly why Thomas is considered to be not only one of the best defensive back in Missouri, but also the country. It’s also why schools like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Kansas are hoping that Thomas decides to move his island to their campus in 2011. For now, however, schools will just have to settle for having Thomas on campus as a guest. Something that will happen soon for some.
“I’ll be at KU’s, OU’s (Oklahoma), OSU’s (Oklahoma State) and Arkansas,” said Thomas of what spring games he plans on attending. “I went to Arkansas for their junior day and so far I’ve been to Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Kansas,” added Thomas.
It was the Kansas visit last month that appears to have stood out to Thomas.
“I was there for the KU v Iowa State (basketball) game,” said Thomas. It was real nice there. They show you around and treat you like family,” added Thomas about how the Kansas coaching staff treated him during his visit for junior day.
Although the Kansas coaches have only been on the job for just over two months, Thomas feels that he already has a great relationship with the Kansas staff.
“Coach (Reggie) Mitchell and I are real tight,” said Thomas. “I love KU, and it’s real nice down there. As far as committing though, I’m gonna wait,” added Thomas.
Once Darrian Miller committed to the Jayhawks, Thomas certainly had thoughts about joining Miller in committing to Kansas.
“It helps KU,” said Thomas about Miller’s commitment. “I already liked KU, but with him (Miller) committing it does help KU. My mom needs to see the school, facilities and talk to the coaches,” added Thomas.
Although the Jayhawks are obviously sitting in a great position for Thomas, there is some competition from some other Big 12 schools. Namely the two Oklahoma schools, which aren’t far from where Thomas is originally from.
“I’m from Midwest City, Oklahoma. I moved here three years ago when my dad’s job got transferred,” said Thomas. I’ve got a lot of family down there, and I have a big family. Up here it’s just my mom and dad,” added Thomas.
It’s having that big family in the Red River state that makes both Oklahoma schools somewhat of a draw for Thomas. The Jayhawks, however, have another card that can play if need be. That card is in the form of a video game.
“I’ve always liked KU. I’ve liking them since I was a kid. Whenever I play NCAA (College football video game made by EA Sports), I always play with KU,” added Thomas.
The Jayhawks are hoping that when Thomas plays the 2011 version of the video game, he is playing as himself when he picks Kansas as his team.
