Pro baseball could be option for OU QB recruit Cody Thomas
BY ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer
Sunday, January 27, 2013
1/31/13 at 9:44 AM
Cody Thomas didn't grow up with undying allegiance to any single college football program.
So perhaps it is serendipity that the first college game he attended featured Oklahoma against Florida.
The Sooners didn't win that 2009 BCS Championship game, but did grab the attention of the future Colleyville (Texas) Heritage High School star quarterback.
After getting 80-plus scholarship offers from across the nation, Thomas chose Oklahoma over schools like Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, USC and even Florida, the school that beat OU for a national title.
He plans to make his verbal commitment official during the Feb. 6 signing day.
"I think it's just the way I fit into their offense and my relationship with Coach (Josh) Heupel," Thomas said last week. "I felt real comfortable and once I visited and took my official visit, it solidified things for me."
Thomas is coming off an outstanding senior season. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder threw for 4,221 yards and a state-best 46 touchdowns against only seven interceptions for Heritage last season.
Included in Thomas' output was a pair of games with seven touchdown passes. He had at least four scoring throws in eight of his dozen contests.
Thomas even proved to have a bit of "John Elway" in him in 2012. The senior led his team to victories in five games where the Mavericks trailed by 10 points or more.
Thomas said his favorite play was in the regular-season finale, when he connected with receiver Kaelin Deboskie on a 77-yard go-ahead touchdown in the final minute to secure a 35-30 win over L.D. Bell.
There is a sidenote for Oklahoma fans to watch in this recruiting story.
Thomas is an outstanding baseball player and was named a MaxPreps 2013 preseason All-American on Friday. The outfielder hit .415 with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs last season and likely will be drafted at a high spot in this summer's Major League Baseball draft.
The Sooners lost Broken Arrow quarterback commitment Archie Bradley when he was the seventh overall pick in the 2011 draft. Could OU lose another quarterback to baseball?
Thomas' current plan is to move to Norman immediately following his June 6 high school graduation. June 6 is also the first day of the three-day Major League Baseball first-year player draft.
"Right now, I plan on going to college," Thomas said. "We'll see what happens when it comes, but I am focused on going to college."
Thomas also will be a member of Oklahoma's baseball team. Like many other schools recruiting him, OU will allow him to play both sports.
"I'm definitely pumped for that," Thomas said. "When picking the college I planned on going to, one of the top priorities was playing baseball. I've been playing baseball my whole life and can't see going somewhere without it.
"But I am going to Oklahoma for football. My scholarship is for football and that's the main priority."
Thomas feels like he "fits in" with the quarterback group at Oklahoma. He said he's ready to compete with returners Blake Bell, Drew Allen, Kendal Thompson and Trevor Knight.
"I'm a fierce competitor and will not back down from a challenge at all," he said. "I'm going to give it my all and see what happens when I get there.
"They are a great group of guys and I've talked to them. They've been there and Blake has played in some of the games. When I get there, I'm going to be (soaking) information from those guys."
Thomas' pledge to Oklahoma came last summer. Signing day has always been months away.
The countdown shifted to weeks and, now, just days.
"I'm ready to get it over with," he said. "I haven't thought much about it. I'm solid with OU and it's just pretty much me putting my name on paper to make it official."
Game-by-game stats
|
Date | Opponent | C-A-I | Yards | TD |
|
Aug. 31 | Duncanville (W 20-2) | 20-39-0 | 265 | 1 |
|
Sept. 6 | Guyer (W 54-38) | 32-43-0 | 394 | 5 |
|
Sept. 14 | Flower Mound (W 35-14) | 22-36-1 | 291 | 0 |
|
Sept. 28 | Trinity (L 31-16) | 15-26-1 | 204 | 2 |
|
Oct. 5 | Grapevine (W 69-27) | 22-30-0 | 465 | 7 |
|
Oct. 12 | MacArthur (W 56-47) | 26-43-2 | 541 | 7 |
|
Oct. 19 | Irving (W 55-24) | 12-19-0 | 241 | 3 |
|
Oct. 26 | Nimitz (W 49-7) | 22-35-1 | 366 | 4 |
|
Nov. 2 | Turner (W 70-0) | 12-12-0 | 237 | 4 |
|
Nov. 9 | Bell (W 35-30) | 25-41-1 | 403 | 5 |
|
Nov. 17 | Hebron (W 50-24) | 32-43-0 | 416 | 4 |
|
Nov. 24 | Midway (L 54-44) | 30-57-1 | 398 | 4 |
|
Totals | | 270-424-7 | 4,221 | 46 |
Original Print Headline: QB recruit planning to stick with Sooners
Eric Bailey 918-581-8391
eric.bailey@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Thomas
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