Recruiting Report: Zac Thomas/East Ridge (2021)
WOODBURY– After taking a year off from football to focus on basketball, East Ridge WR Zac Thomas has flipped a switch and is coming back to the Raptors offense in the 2021 season. We chatted with Thomas about his hiatus from football, his…
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Continue ReadingWOODBURY– After taking a year off from football to focus on basketball, East Ridge WR Zac Thomas has flipped a switch and is coming back to the Raptors offense in the 2021 season. We chatted with Thomas about his hiatus from football, his recruiting interest, and much more!
Get to Know Zac Thomas
Why is Thomas such a towering prospect? He stands at 6’7 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds, the ideal size to create a mismatch at wide receiver and can I’m sure play some tight end too. He plays AAU basketball with some promising highly ranked PRZ Minnesota WR prospects also in Kyreese Willingham Kyreese Willingham 6'5" | WR Waseca | 2021 State MN (Waseca) Trey Longstreet Trey Longstreet 6'7" | TE Delano | 2021 State MN (Delano) and others. Thomas plays strong because of his size, ball skills, speed, and athletic ability. “I love playing football, running routes, blocking, catching passes, and doing whatever else is necessary to help my team win,” Thomas said about his love of high school football the wide receiver position. Thomas also is an intriguing basketball prospect playing for Minnesota Heat Tauer, which is one of the top programs in Minnesota AAU in the Class of 2021. Thomas is a proven winner, with the Raptors going to state with him, Ben Carlson, and others in 2019 and winning their conference in 2020.
Favorites About the WR Position
“My length and speed have allowed me to have success as a receiver,” Thomas told Prepredzone.com about the position he will continue playing for the Raptors. Thomas also loves the feeling of catching a pass, no matter how routine or complicated they might be. Football also allows him to compete at a high level against other players and teams.
2018 Season
Thomas originally left football to play basketball, but now he is taking the more multi-sport athlete approach when it comes to recruiting. Thomas’s sophomore season on JV was an excellent team for the Raptors, only losing one game. Thomas at WR had caught ten touchdowns in his freshman and sophomore seasons and also was the team’s long snapper, which is another element Thomas can add to his game in a scenario that your college long snapper goes down.
Recruiting Interest
“I really missed playing football last season and am very excited about exploring opportunities to play in college,” Thomas told us about his journey to come back to football from a recruiting standpoint. Thomas plans on attending some football camps this summer/fall and has been working hard in the weight room this spring and summer to help me be a better player. Because of Zac’s length and athleticism, he gets numerous contacts about playing college basketball as well.
Elevator Pitch
Thomas’s elevator pitch to the college football coaches listening is this:
My pitch to college coaches is that I am a student-athlete, not an athletic student. I have had success in both the classroom with my 3.7 GPA and on the playing field/basketball court due to hard work. I want to get better and will put in the time and effort to help make you better.
Offseason Work Ons
“Speed, strength, and agility will always help me as a football player,” Thomas said about what Raptors coaches have told him in his past seasons.
Zac’s Mentor
Zac gets his motivation on the football field from his father, who is his mentor. “His knowledge of the sport and the position I play has helped me improve throughout the year,” Zac said about his father, who was an all-conference wide receiver at Augustana University.
2021 Goals
What did I like about Zac’s answer to this question? It was all about the team. Of course, everyone wants to chase records, have 75 receptions, etc. but it’s essential to Thomas that his Raptors team does well, and not just his accolades. “I look forward to working hard to be a major contributor to the success of the East Ridge varsity program when we play next Spring,” as Zac has a team goal to win the Suburban East and have a chance to compete for a state title.