FAYETTEVILLE — The defending national champion and the home-state SEC team are two program that will soon get visits from Jonesboro junior offensive lineman Darius Thomas.
Thomas (6-6, 308) has plans to visit both Clemson and Arkansas in the coming weeks, but he won’t be in Fayetteville for the inaugural Trench Hogs Camp on June 18.
“The Clemson and Arkansas camps are so close together that I just decided to go to the Clemson one,” Thomas said Saturday before taking part in the Arkansas Football Rankings Fab 40.
Thomas, who ran a 5.06 in the 40-yard dash on Saturday, will then likely come to Arkansas a few weeks afterwards.
“My sister is going up there to play basketball and I might just come along and visit Arkansas,” Thomas said.
Thomas has offers from Arkansas, Georgia, Auburn, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Arizona State, Indiana and others and notes there are three teams that he is highest on at the moment.
“Arkansas is definitely one of the schools that is catching my attention right now and also probably Georgia and Auburn,” Thomas said.
“I really like the (Arkansas) coaching staff and the O-Line coach,” Thomas said. “I like the equipment and the way they teach football. …I just like it all-around.”
Thomas is doing most of his talking with Arkansas offensive line coach Kurt Anderson and chief in-state recruiter Barry Lunney, Jr.
“I really communicate mostly with Coach Anderson and also with Coach Lunney and the other coaches for the Razorbacks,” Thomas said. “I just went up there and they gave me an offer and I am really happy about it.”
He hopes to add a Clemson offer with his work at its camp.
“I am going up there to earn it,” Thomas said. “I am just looking to go up there and learn from the top nationally ranked school.”
Thomas has mixed feelings about the recruiting process.
“It is fun, but it is also scary at the same time,” Thomas said. I’ve got a lot to prove and I am going to prove it.”
The scary part?
“Not being able to live up to everybody’s expectations, but I am going to try my hardest to do so,” Thomas said.
Thomas believes run blocking, his size and speed are his strengths.
“I think I do run blocking really well and I have a good speed for my size,” Thomas said. “I am going to keep working on pass blocking and get that down and just become the best player I can.”