Dismissed receiver Thomas wants to return
Jeff Thomas, the electrifying former Miami Hurricanes receiver who was dismissed from the team Thanksgiving week, has conveyed interest to the University of Miami in returning to the school, two sources said Saturday.
Coach Manny Diaz will decide whether Thomas will return, and it’s unclear what that decision will be.
One player on last year’s team said he was left with the impression that Thomas, who led the Canes in receiving with 563 yards and three touchdowns despite his early departure, will return to the team. But it’s unknown if Diaz has given authorization for that.
It is believed Thomas had no legal or other issues that would preclude him from returning if UM chooses to bring him back.
After leaving UM, Thomas, from East St. Louis, originally announced he would attend Illinois, but it’s unclear if he ever enrolled.
If he returns, he would have two years of eligibility remaining but would be eligible to enter his name in the NFL Draft after next season.
One player on last year’s team said Thomas and UM parted ways partly because he was unhappy and partly because he was homesick. But now the idea of returning to UM appeals to him, according to the sources.
When Thomas was dismissed from the team, then-coach Mark Richt said in a statement: “We have high standards for excellence, for conduct and for the commitment to team for all of the young men who wear our uniform, and we will not waver from those standards. We wish Jeff the very best as he moves forward in his journey.’’
A player previously said Thomas did not attend meetings the week he was dismissed, angering the staff. UM had benched him for the first two series of the previous weekend’s game Nov. 17 against Virginia Tech because UM wanted to hold him accountable for not taking care of business off the field.
Nearly four hours after his dismissal, Thomas posted his own statement on Twitter.
“Regarding to the sit- uation with me,” Thomas wrote. “I did not get kicked off the team as of how bad it sounds. I came to a agreement with my Head Coach on leaving the program to better my future life and family life. I couldn’t thank this program of how much they’ve done for me, and the things I’ve done on the field is my way of respect for the program. Much Love!! #BeatPitt.”
By Saturday, Thomas had removed all mentions of the Fighting Illini from his Twitter profile and deleted the initial statement he posted.
On Dec. 21, the Belleville News-Democrat, the newspaper near Thomas’ home, reported that Thomas “signed a Big Ten tender of financial aid and plans to enroll at the University of Illinois this spring,” according to coach Lovie Smith.
“By rule,’’ the NewsDemocrat noted, “Thomas would be required to sit out a season for transferring to another FBS program and would still have two years of playing eligibility remaining, though he can appeal to the NCAA to have the sit-year waived” and that Smith “will fully support his efforts for immediate eligibility.”
At the time, Smith told News-Democrat: “Jeff Thomas is an elite level football player who we expect to make an immediate impact with the Fighting Illini program. We know he is excited to return to his home state. This continues a string of great players from East St. Louis coming to the University of Illinois. We recruited Jeff extremely hard out of high school, and when he contacted us about the possibility of returning home, we were immediately interested in making his wishes come true.”
Thomas, a former Under Armour All-American who said he was timed at 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash last year, was considered one of the most electrifying players in the country during his two seasons at UM.
HICKSON, BARRY HIRED BY UM
Former Kansas State running backs coach Eric Hickson, a former Dillard High running back with strong South Florida ties, was named UM’s new running backs coach on Saturday.
UM also named former Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ assistant offensive line coach Butch Barry the new offensive line coach.
Hickson, 44, a Fort Lauderdale native, coached running backs at K-State last season, after three years in the same role at Toledo, but was not retained by new coach Chris Kleiman, who replaced retiring Bill Snyder.
Hickson coached the running backs and special teams at American Heritage High School in Florida for four seasons (20072011) and mentored several players who were recruited by FBS schools, including former Georgia running back Sony Michel and former UM player Walter Tucker.
Hickson left K-State as the all-time leading rusher in Kansas State football history with 2,537 yards.
Barry coached for the Buccaneers the past four seasons, and previously spent five seasons as an assistant coach for Central Michigan when new UM offensive coordinator Dan Enos was the coach there.