There are a few bright spots when you have your worst season in over two decades. One of those bright spots was the flashes you saw from true freshman [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag].
You look at his numbers, and nothing jumps out at you, but he has unique athleticism and twitchiness at the edge position. He was ultimately just too light to make much of a difference on the line.
That’s why this summer, he put in the work adding muscle to his frame. With increased size and strength while keeping his quickness and agility, he could be in for a breakout season this year.
One person who was glowing about the progress he’s made was defensive ends coach, [autotag]Miguel Chavi[/autotag]s. “I’ve seen an elite level of consistency,” Chavis said. “Talking about a guy who weighed 216 pounds last year, he weighs 240 today.”
It’s not just the work he put in the offseason. Chavis feels he’s seen a shift in his mindset. A look in his eyes where you know he’s ready for a breakout season.
“Coach Schmitty gave a report on him, and he just has a maturity that’s different,” Chavis said. “He’s got a mamba mentality. He’s got a look in his eyes that’s different.”
Mamba mentality was coined by the late great Los Angeles Lakers guard and future hall of famer, Kobe Bryant.
“To sum up what mamba mentality is, it means to be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself,” Bryant explained back in 2016. “That is what the mentality is. It’s a constant quest to try to better today than you were yesterday.
“Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most. It’s the ultimate mantra for the competitive spirit. It started just as a hashtag that came to me one day, and it’s grown into something athletes — and even non-athletes — embrace as a mindset. Hard work outweighs talent — every time. Mamba mentality is about 4 a.m. workouts, doing more than the next guy and then trusting in the work you’ve put in when it’s time to perform. Without studying, preparation and practice, you’re leaving the outcome to fate. I don’t do fate.”
Bryant’s competitiveness and drive defined a legendary career.
It’s that mentality and drive in Thomas that leads Chavis to believe his sophomore defensive end is going to make a lot of teams mad they didn’t recruit him.
“He was a little undersized for a lot of people that’s why a lot of people missed on him. I’m telling you, this is going to be a guy in a couple of years from now, everyone’s going to say, ‘how in the heck did we miss on that kid?’ He has the opportunity if he keeps working to be that guy.”
For a team that needs to improve their pass rush heading into 2023, that’s music to our ears. After a strong offseason, Thomas is looking to be one of the answers to Oklahoma’s defensive resurgence in 2023.
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