The current top available prospect in Wisconsin is Middleton’s safety, Thomas D’Onofrio Thomas D’Onofrio 6'1" | 185 lbs | DB Middleton | 2024 State WI . The 6’1″ 185 lbs senior plays the part of a three level safety. An athlete who has the range to cover a deep zone, read and react traits, and ball skills to break up passes or create turnovers. Thomas also has the quick feet, change of direction, and burst to play man coverage. Lastly, Thomas is a sound tackler, and can be an impact against the run game. He can make stops in space, avoid blocks in the box, and fly through lanes to meet RBs. Thomas is a well rounded athlete with plenty of PWOs to choose from if he wants to play FBS football. Check him out.

Thomas has seen a big upswing in his recruitment recently, earning a couple Power PWO offers. It was only a matter of time for the 6’1″ 185 lbs safety. Thomas has a lot of natural gifts to mold at the safety position. His awareness and ability to read the QB jump off the tape. His burst, speed, and agility allow him to get in position to make plays on the ball after making his read. He has the ball skills to create turnovers. Thomas also can be counted on to impact the run defense. There is no hesitation from him when he reads run and flies downhill. No more sleeping on the talented safety.

We have been singing the praises of Middleton’s 6’1″ 185 lbs safety Thomas D’Onofrio Thomas D’Onofrio 6'1" | 185 lbs | DB Middleton | 2024 State WI since last fall when he broke onto the scene with a dominant All Conference season. There aren’t many safety prospects that you can trust to play man to man over a slot receiver, slide down into the box and avoid OL while getting to the ball to make tackles against the run game, and then drop back and cover a deep half of the field throughout a game. Thomas is one of those types of prospects, though. His speed and agility allow him to play tight coverage and cover a lot of ground in zone. Plus he will lower the shoulder on RBs in the hole. Look for a dominant season to push Thomas even further up our board and the board of teams.

Thomas currently holds an offer from Toledo, yet he still seems to be under the radar. The junior is the top uncommitted talent in the Madison area, and one of the top overall in the entire state. He is a legitimate chess piece in the defensive backfield. In zone coverage his awareness and burst allow him to react and close to receivers and the ball entering his area. In man coverage Thomas has the speed to run with receivers and to recover if he is picked at the line. The junior can also play down in the box and be a stout run defender. The Middleton DB can’t be a sleeper anymore. Teams in need of a safety must start here.

The 6’1″ 185 lbs junior is the highest debuting defensive player overall in the 2024 rankings update. The safety is a special prospect, and has earned a Top 10 ranking in his debut. Thomas earned that by proving he is a dominant three level safety. He has the range to cover a deep half, or line up 15 yards deep and make tackles near the line of scrimmage against the run. D’Onofrio also is reliable in man to man coverage. He has the speed to run with receivers, and he has the quick feet and hips to be able to stay in the hip of receivers through breaks in routes. Thomas also has soft hands to generate turnovers in coverage. Lastly, Thomas is one of the most consistent, reliable, and hard hitting tacklers of any defender in the state.