One of the nation’s top 10 college football signees wants a release from Florida State so he can sign with UGA or USC.
Matthew Thomas is linebacker from Miami who ranked as the nation’s No. 8 overall recruit for 2013, according to the 247sports composite rankings.
Thomas told the Miami Herald on Monday that he is not planning on reporting to FSU this summer and has asked for a release.
“I’ve told them it’s nothing personal. I just didn’t make the decision I really wanted to on Signing Day,” Thomas told the website.
“What happened was on Signing Day [was] I wasn’t sure who I wanted to sign with. I had issues with different schools. But when I told my mom I didn’t want to sign with anybody and wait and give it a few days she said I couldn’t do that. She said, ‘FSU is a good school – pick them. It’s close to home.’ I wasn’t agreeing with it. But I felt like I was being disrespectful to her if I didn’t sign. So I made her happy.”
Thomas said his parents now support him in the transfer request. His childhood favorite is Miami, but he’s not interested in transferring there because he would have to sit out two years, per ACC rules.
“I’ve been in Miami all my life,” Thomas told the Herald. “Georgia needs linebackers. It’s a big program. I have family in Georgia. USC, growing up I never thought I would have an opportunity that big. I just want to go have fun and play football.”
Thomas is supposed to meet with FSU coach Jimbo Fisher soon.
Opinion: It will be interesting to see how this turns out. Now that Thomas has made his feelings public, the spotlight shifts to FSU. At this point, my guess is that FSU would turn down the release request because (1) it did force Thomas to sign there and (2) his reason for the request is not for more compelling reasons, such as to play closer to home or to be near an ill family member, etc. There's a lot of public sympathy there. However, if Thomas sticks by his guns and this drags into the summer, it could turn into a public relations nightmare for FSU and the NCAA. It’s unfair that the NCAA puts transfer restrictions on players, but allows coaches to move freely among schools without any penalty.
Tailback J.J. Green said he can’t say for sure how many times he has heard “you’re one play away from playing” from Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and running backs coach Bryan McClendon.
Here is a clue that your trip to sunny south Florida may not be a carefree vacation: You’re a football team, and you lose one of your starters during warm-ups.
If nothing else, Georgia has ensured at least one thing about its season. Regardless of where the rest of the schedule takes them, whether its to an SEC championship, a BCS bowl bid or a national title, there will be no claims from outsiders that this team received too many breaks and escaped health issues, no suggestions that the road to success was lined with lollipops and unicorns.
Having been at Georgia four seasons now, soccer coach Steve Holeman doesn’t weird out nearly as much as he once did about playing Ole Miss, where he coached for 15 years.
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