Hometown star Thomas hoping for a fantastic finish
Maurice Thomas has proved his worth as a college return man for the Miami RedHawks.
As a senior, he hopes to show the college football world he is much more.
“I definitely feel like I’m ready for this year and just ready to fill the big shoes that are ahead of me with (the graduation of ) Alonzo (Smith) and Kenny (Young),” he said at MAC Media Day in Detroit on Tuesday.
Smith and Young combined for more than 1,000 yards last season while Thomas was the team’s No. 3 rusher with 233 yards on 61 carries.
He also caught 13 passes for 34 yards while averaging 26.7 yards per kickoff return (including a 99-yard touchdown).
With Jaylon Bester and Davion Johnson also back in the backfield, Thomas should be able to move around the formation in order to allow the coaching staff to exploit the explosiveness in his 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame.
“I’m definitely expecting them to help us out, and I’ll be the guy where I can return kicks, be slot, do running back, just wherever I am needed to go, I can.”
Thomas is in Year 5 as a RedHawk, but he knew Oxford well before enrolling in 2015.
The son of two Miami grads, Thomas starred at Talawanda, where he ran for 4,749 yards and scored 65 touchdowns for the Braves.
The 2014 Southwest Ohio Player of the Year in Division III, he had three 300yard games and went for 414 yards in one contest.
A three-star prospect, he chose his hometown college team over other MAC offers — despite the RedHawks having fallen on hard times during his high school career, including an 0-12 season in 2013.
“Well, Coach (Chuck) Martin and all the coaches were coming in and making the transition,” he said of the man who became head coach of the RedHawks in 2014. “And they just really had that fire and passion, so they made me feel confident that they were going to turn it around.”
So far he has enjoyed his time wearing the Red and White, but he hopes to have saved his best for last.
He has 735 yards rushing and 227 yards receiving in four seasons, including a 2017 campaign cut short by injury, and Martin said the first-team All-MAC kick returner will be the feature back this fall.
“Well, he’s been a dynamic player since he got here,” Martin said. “He’s been a dynamic returner, a big play guy in our offense. His biggest thing is just staying healthy. He’s always been in and out of the lineup, and we need him this year to really stay healthy.
“He’s a dangerous return guy, had a kickoff return for a touchdown against Western Michigan last season, so there are just different ways to get him the ball. He can catch the ball, run the ball, you know, and as many touches as he can handle, we’re going to try to get him.”
That sounds good to Thomas, who has an eye on continuing a trend of slim-but-dangerous openfield players, such as Tarik Cohen of the Chicago Bears, who have carved out niches in the NFL in recent years.
“I definitely like being versatile, especially for like League aspirations,” Thomas said. “So I’m not the biggest back, but I can play slot, I can run routes. I can catch kicks and (run button-hooks). Just being able to be moved and mold where I’m needed just makes my stock higher and increases my value.”
■ Thomas is one of five players from the Cox Media Group Ohio area who are on Miami’s roster for 2019.
Here’s what Martin had to say about the others as the start of training camp approaches:
Jarrett LaRubbio, senior offensive lineman, Middle- town, Lakota East
“Toughness, competitiveness, lunch pail, old school, throwback, a lot of kick-sandin-your-face mentality.”
Ja’don Rucker-Furlow, sophomore defensive back, Dayton, Belmont
“We knew he was good in camp. We tried to push the envelope and pushed a little bit too early. We threw him in there against Akron. I think it was the second conference or maybe the third conference game, and he probably wasn’t quite ready. But coach ( John) Hauser, to his credit just, they just kept working and by the end of the year, he obviously was rotating as a starter and played about half of every game and had the pick-six to beat Northern. He’s an incredibly talented young man, and part of the reason our defense really improved towards the second half of the year was the improvement of guys like Ja’don that were coming on as the year went on we’re getting better and better.”
Dean Lemon, senior defensive lineman, Kettering, Alter
“He really last year as a junior had his best year. He had a huge sack in our Northern Illinois game in the second half. We’re going to start more than four guys at the D-line and he’s going to be in that mix of guys. He played some really good football for us down the stretch a year ago and really impacted the OU win, impacted the Northern (Illinois) win, impacted the Ball State win. He’s kind of hitting his stride later in his career.”
Max Wynn, freshman linebacker, Centerville
“Max is a great kid and great player for great program. I don’t want to put the weight of the world on his shoulders when he’s young, but he’s a kid we think that can run and hit. He’s got great length. He’s gonna be big. He’s not big yet, but he’s got that frame that he’s going to be a 235-pound linebacker that can run. From all accounts seemed like a great leader in high school and everything like that.”