Niceville鈥檚 Azareyeh Thomas signs with Florida State
NICEVILLE, Fla. — Niceville athlete Azareyeh Thomas will be staying in Florida for his college days, as he has signed with Florida State University to compete for the Seminoles in 2022 and beyond. Thomas was one of the top-rated athletes in the current college recruiting class.
Thomas was an instrumental part in leading the Niceville Eagles to a 10-2 record in 2021. Thomas had 421 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, plus he had 438 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in the air. He also has extensive experience as a safety.
Thomas was rated as a top-100 recruit for the year by 247Sports. He was listed at the 93 spot as a four-star athlete.
鈥�(Thomas is) a do-it-all utility man on Friday nights that has put together some of the best wide receiver tape in the Sunshine State,鈥� 247Sports recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins . Ivins also said that Thomas is best slated to be a defensive back, as he does well with man-to-man coverage and in stopping the pass defense.
Thomas鈥� work in the safety position was a critical part of the Eagles鈥� success on defense this past season. The team gave up 166 points in their games, pitching two shutouts in the process.
Thomas has been a two-way player for the Eagles since 2019. In 2019, he was named the Eagles鈥� defensive MVP as the team went 12-1 and reached the 7A regional finals. In 2020, he had 695 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
Thomas also has experience in track and field and basketball. He qualified for district competition in the long jump during his sophomore season.
He was one of the most heavily recruited players in Niceville this past year, with four other schools getting in direct contact with him during the recruitment period. He also had visits with Florida, Georgia Tech, LSU and Oklahoma this year. Alabama, Auburn, Miami, Michigan and South Carolina also expressed interest in him.
By joining the Florida State Seminoles, Thomas is entering the same conference that his brother plays in. Juanyeh Thomas is a defensive back for Georgia Tech, a fellow ACC team.
Thomas鈥� decision to join the Seminoles came an hour after the Seminoles lost their commitment to the top-rated Class of 2022 recruit in the country. Cornerback Travis Hunter had committed to play at Florida State for more than a year, but he switched his commitment to Jackson State, an FCS team coached by Deion Sanders.
The Florida State Seminoles went 5-7 in 2021 and want to get back in the bowl picture after missing out this past season. Thomas will be a part of a strong recruiting class that includes A.J. Duffy, a quarterback with IMG Academy of Bradenton, Florida. Safety Sam McCall is also a top-100 recruit for the Seminoles this year.
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