Thomason re-ups on Stanford pledge

Allen Thomason signed on the dotted line to play football at Stanford for the second time in three months on Wednesday afternoon on the campus of Pulaski Academy.

In December, during football’s early signing day, Thomason signed with the Cardinal as a preferred walk-on. He signed less than two weeks after Stanford announced Troy Taylor as its new coach, replacing longtime coach David Shaw.

On Wednesday, Thomason, along with teammates Jaylin Mckinney (Ouachita Baptist) and Romelo Bell (Appalachian State), and golfer Andrew Payne (TCU), signed their national letters of intent after last week’s ceremony was delayed due to inclement weather.

“This is pretty amazing,” Thomason said. “It’s just kind of the culmination of all my efforts academically and athletically, and to get to see all my friends and family here on such a special day. I don’t really like to make it about myself, because this is all about the people that got me here.”

As Taylor and his staff began to look at their 2023 recruiting class, Thomason called to check on his status with the team. That’s when he heard the Cardinal intended to put him on an athletic scholarship. Thomason said he had hoped to earn one down the line but was pleasantly surprised when he heard from the new staff about the offer.

“I said, ‘Y’all realize that y’all do already have me coming there, right? And they said, ‘Yes we do, but we want to put you on scholarship’. It was surprising, and it was amazing to know that they think that of me to put me on scholarship.”

Thomason, Bell and Mckinney will leave Pulaski Academy having won every state championship game they played in, combining for 11 state championship rings.

That sort of success has become commonplace at PA, but second-year head coach Anthony Lucas said it’s what this class shows off the field he’s most impressed with.

“What I really get excited about is that I got the opportunity to invest in their lives,” Lucas said. “Not just football-wise but as a person. We can coach football, but I love the way, for the most part, our kids carry themselves off the football field. I think that’s one of the biggest things I’m gonna cherish.”

Thomason, along with Mckinney, was named to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps first team following the Bruins’ 12-1 season that was capped off with a 42-35 win over Greenwood for the Class 6A state championship.

Thomason, who holds a 4.5 weighted grade-point average, said his recruiting process was just as much about academics as it was football, and the chance to attend a school like Stanford was the best of both worlds. Thomason plans to pursue his dream of becoming an aerospace engineer while playing football.

“It’s pretty difficult out there,” Thomason said with a smile. “It’s one of the top schools in the nation for it, but that really excites me. I’m going to be around people that are motivated like I am to not only perform athletically, but academically as well.”

Jerrod Barnhill, PA’s offensive line coach, said what separates Thomason from other Division I linemen he’s coached in the past is what’s between his ears.

“He’s got all these physical characteristics; his weight [275 pounds], his height (6-5), his hands, his reach, but it’s what he does mentally that prepares himself for the next level,” Barnhill said. “That’s what gets you into a school like Stanford. … Stanford is getting a special kid. He’ll be a difference-maker in their program.”