Commitment Spotlight – Jordon Thomas

[HornSports Staff]

The University of Texas continued its recruiting streak with another commitment, this time from Port Arthur Memorial High School’s Jordon Thomas. Thomas becomes the third UT commit in the past week, following 2021 tight end Landen King who committed on April 26 and 2020 cornerback Jahdae Barron who committed on April 30.

Thomas is the second true defensive commit that Texas has landed for the 2021 class joining fellow four-star commit and outside linebacker, Derrick Harris Jr.

Unfortunately, Thomas missed all of the 2019 season due to a lower leg injury. In 2018 though, he accumulated 32 tackles with five sacks.

Thomas is a four-star recruit via the 247Sports Composite. For his class, he’s ranked as the 15th best weak-side defensive end and 36th best overall player in the state of Texas.

Thomas announced on April 8 via his twitter that his top two had been narrowed down between Texas and Texas A&M. He now becomes the sixth four-star commit or better to commit to The University of Texas’ 2021 recruiting class.

Player Information

Name: Jordon Thomas
Position: Defensive End
High School: Memorial
City, State: Port Arthur, TX

Measurables

Height: 6’3
Weight: 240

Film

Three Best Traits

Great Build – Thomas is already 6’3 and 240-pounds. With him still being in high school, he has the ability to put on even more weight in the coming months as well. Thomas has the frame to pretty much play any position in the defensive line. Whether it’s a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme he can be anywhere pushing tackles into the backfield.

Size and Speed – As a sophomore Thomas compiled 32 tackles for five sacks. Who knows how much those numbers would have improved in his junior season. As a sophomore, he’s already shown to display elite levels of size and speed. He’s big enough to push anyone he wants back while also having a great step out of the blocks to manhandle them any which way he wants to. Expect Thomas to do big things for Memorial his senior season.

Potential – While still being raw, Thomas has immense potential. He’s had a year to sit back and learn and study the areas in which he needs improvement. His tape as a sophomore alone made him a four-star prospect. Thomas, if he were to play his junior year could be closer to five-stars. He hasn’t come close to reaching his maximum potential yet. That bodes well for UT.

Areas for Improvement 

Injury Concern – Thomas was an absolute machine on the field in his sophomore season. He showed the ability to get by some of Texas’ elite tackles with ease despite being only a sophomore. A leg/ankle injury kept Thomas sidelined though his entire junior season. A whole year that could’ve been used as a way for Thomas to hone his craft and work on his technique was taken away to sideline his injury. With the right trainers and coaches to help improve his technique, this issue can hopefully be resolved.

Raw – With the aforementioned injury keeping Thomas out of action for a whole year, Thomas is still raw with his technique at the position. He has the build and speed to be successful now and in his senior year. When he moves up to Big-12 level competition that won’t always cut it. Another year at the high school level, plus his junior year of studying film should be enough to combat this and lead Thomas to a successful.

 

 

 

 

 

Summary

With this signing, Jordon Thomas joins Harris Jr. as the second true defensive commit for the 2021 class. He possesses the frame and speed to be a quarterback nightmare at the next level. He has the strength out of the blocks to push elite tackles back while also possessing the quickness the chase down some of the best dual-threats in the country. Thomas is going to be a fantastic addition to Chris Ash’s unit.

 

Final Verdict

Despite missing his junior year, Thomas has shown enough from his sophomore tape for fans to be elated with his commitment. With the recruitment of Jordon Thomas and Derrick Harris Jr., Tom Herman and company have laid the groundwork for an astute defense once they take the field. Couple these two signings with the amazing secondary that Texas recruited in the 2020 class and it’s shaping up to be one of the better defenses the Longhorns have fielded in quite some time. 

 

 

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