Michael Thomas III committed to Rutgers football on Tuesday, giving Rutgers a playmaker at wide receiver who is one of the top-ranked players in the nation. In breaking down his commitment, Thomas said the decision was based on the fact that ‘It just felt right.’
The commitment of Thomas continues an impressive streak for Rutgers. Head coach Greg Schiano secured four recruits, all ranked as four stars, in four days.
Make no mistake about it though. Getting Thomas is huge for Rutgers in and of itself. Last season as a junior for Donovan Catholic (Barnegat, New Jersey), he recorded 38 catches for 458 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
ESPN has Thomas ranked as a four-star and the No. 108 recruit in the ESPN 300. He is a top-10 wide receiver in the nation according to the Worldwide Leader.
In terms of New Jersey, 247Sports ranks as the fourth-best recruit in the class of 2025. He had an offer list that included Boston College, Duke, Michigan, Penn State, Syracuse and West Virginia among others.
“The recruiting process is hard. All the schools I had offers from had things that I liked about each of them,” Thomas told Rutgers Wire on Wednesday night.
“But I always felt welcomed and at home when I visited Rutgers. After the official visit, all the conversations with the coaching staff and my family -I felt like me being at Rutgers was the best for me to be successful on and off field. It just felt right.”
Due to track, Thomas only took an official visit to Rutgers. He was supposed to visit Penn State, Illinois and Syracuse but those are now no longer on the schedule.
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He said of Rutgers that he is ‘”totally locked in, 100 percent.”
During the recruiting process, Thomas was able to build a relationship with not just Schiano, but also wide receivers coach Dave Brock.
“They are both good guys. Great coaches,” Thomas said.
“We talked alot during this process. Very open and honest. And expressed that I would be a great addition to the Rutgers family.”
On Wednesday at the county track championship, Thomas placed third in the 100 meters with a 10.69 time.