Tag: Michael Thomas III

Penn State makes top-five of four-star wide receiver

Penn State is one of the top schools remaining for this four-star wide receiver from New Jersey.

Until the wide receiving group takes a step forward from what they showed on the field in 2023-24, a ton of attention will be given to that group in preseason workouts and recruiting.

Penn State only has one commitment at receiver so far in the class of 2025 in [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag].

It goes without saying that [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff will heavily be focused on landing as much talent as possible for that position room before this cycle is over.

They got some good news when four-star wide receiver [autotag]Michael Thomas III[/autotag] included the Nittany Lions in his top-five list.

The 5’10” 185-pound New Jersey native is rated as one of the best players in the state, listed as No. 3 and 19th-best player at his position according to On3’s Industry Rankings.

Along with Penn State, he’s also included Rutgers, Illinois, Syracuse and Boston College on his list.

An interesting note Thomas’ recruitment is that his longest standing relationship is with assistant recruiting coordinator Khalil Ahmad, who recently returned to Penn State after stepping down from his role at Syracue.

“Coach Ahmad is a cool dude. We built a relationship a while ago before he joined PSU. He keeps it 100 all the time. He just checks in on me, makes sure I’m good and gives me some good points and advice about my upcoming season,” he told Sean Fitz of On3.

Despite the close proximity, the Nittany Lions have not necessarily recruited New Jersey to the level that some might expect.

Ahmad has roots in the state from his high school coaching days and should prove to be a major asset in Penn State’s approach to recruit New Jersey at a higher level.

Getting a commitment from Thomas would be a major plus.

Rutgers football recruiting: Michael Thomas III talks about his top five cutdown

Michael Thomas III talks about his recent cut down in his recruitment and why Rutgers made his top five.

Last week, Michael Thomas III included Rutgers football in his top five, signaling that the Big Ten program is going to get an official visit from the New Jersey wide receiver.

He is a priority recruit for Rutgers football and head coach Greg Schiano’s staff.

Thomas is a four-star wide receiver out from Donovan Catholic (Barnegat, New Jersey). Both ESPN and 247Sports rank him as a top-three player in New Jersey in the 2025 recruiting class.

Nationally, he is ranked as the No. 10 wide receiver in the nation by ESPN.

His top five are Illinois, Rutgers, Syracuse, Penn State and Boston College.

Scroll down and check out what Michael Thomas III had to say about the timing of his top five and why Rutgers football made the list!

Did Rutgers make the cut in Michael Thomas III’s top five?

Michael Thomas III cuts down his list to five schools.

One of New Jersey’s top recruits, Michael Thomas III, dropped his top five on Friday. And for Rutgers football, there was some good news in the announcement.

Thomas, despite being one of New Jersey’s top-ranked recruits, is vastly underrated as a prospect. A four-star wide receiver out of Donovan Catholic (Barnegat, New Jersey), Thomas is a top-three recruit in New Jersey according to ESPN and 247Sports.

ESPN ranks him as the tenth-best wide receiver in the nation.

He is electric with the ball in his hands, with 38 catches for 458 yards and five receiving touchdowns last season. In addition, he also ran for 341 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries.

With game-changing speed, Thomas is perhaps most impressive in his ability to rise up and make contested catches. He plays much bigger than his listed 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds.

His Friday afternoon announcement had a cutdown to Illinois, Rutgers, Syracuse, Penn State and Boston College.

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The 2025 recruiting class for Rutgers currently stands at three recruits. In February, Rutgers received commitments from three-star linebacker [autotag]Talibi Kaba[/autotag] and three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Jayden Elijah[/autotag].

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The duo of Kaba and Elijah are top 15 recruits in New Jersey’s 2025 class.

 

What recruits visited Rutgers football on Wednesday for unofficial visits?

Rutgers football hosted several in-state recruits on Wednesday night.

Fresh off a Junior Day event on Sunday that attracted some of the top players in the region (and beyond), Rutgers football is again hosting a number of the area’s top athletes on Wednesday night.

Included in the day’s itinerary is a trip to Jersey Mike’s Arena to see Rutgers men’s basketball taken on Penn State.

Who was at Rutgers on Wednesday night? Below are several of the top names to keep an eye on who will be visiting the Scarlet Knights on Wednesday night:

On Monday, Rutgers made the top five for New Jersey defensive back Renick Dorilas, a three-star athlete and top 20 player in the state in the 2025 recruiting class.

Four-star wide receiver Michael Thomas III on Friday at Rutgers: ‘Was a great visit’

Michael Thomas III talks about his recent unofficial visit to Rutgers football.

Michael Thomas made another visit to Rutgers football over the weekend, joining a host of top recruits who spent Friday on an unofficial visit with the program.

One of the top recruits in New Jersey in the 2025 class, Thomas is a four-star on both ESPN and 247Sports. In 2022 as a sophomore at Donovan Catholic (Toms River, N.J.), he had 44 catches for 544 yards with four receiving touchdowns.

He holds offers from Boston College, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh and West Virginia in addition to Rutgers among others.

The visit on Friday was another positive step for Thomas with the Scarlet Knights.

“Was a great visit,” Thomas told Rutgers Wire. “When I got there, all the coaches welcomed me once I walked in the lobby – was a great feeling.”

One of the things that stood out to Thomas was his relationship with Dave Brock, who joined the Rutgers staff this offseason as their wide receivers coach.

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Brock had spent his previous five coaching seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons. The last three years were as the Falcons wide receivers coach. The time spent with Brock, according to Thomas, helped further his connection to the program.

“Just how the wide receiver coaches showed me a lot of love and telling how good I can be and I have a bright future,” Thomas said of what stood out during his visit.

“First time meeting him but our talks were good also me having a strong relationship with Mohammad Sanu who he coached before made it even better.”

Thomas said that he is looking for a good education and that building a relationship with a coaching staff is vitally important to him.

This weekend’s visit to Rutgers helped in that regard as he is fostering a relationship with the program.

“I’ve been up there a couple of times now – I will say they definitely treat me like family and that’s something I’m big on,” Thomas said.

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Michael Thomas III, a four-star New Jersey wide receiver, breaks down recent Rutgers football experience, talks possible Georgia visit

Michael Thomas III, a four-star wide receiver, recaps his recent Rutgers football visit.

Likely to be one of the top wide receiver prospects in the nation, class of 2025 athlete Michael Thomas III showed off his versatility and athleticism on Sunday at a Rutgers football for the annual 7-on-7 event run by head coach Greg Schiano.

Thomas, ranked a four-star by ESPN and 247Sports, is coming off a strong sophomore season at Donovan Catholic (Toms River, N.J.). Last season, he had 44 catches for 544 yards with four receiving touchdowns.

With good size (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) and good speed (he recently ran a 4.46 time in the 40), Thomas has that combination of size, strength and speed that is already making him a hot prospect for Power Five programs.

His offer list includes the likes of Boston College, Penn State, Rutgers and West Virginia among others.

“At the 7 on 7, I feel like as a team we did pretty good. They kind of got me – I feel like the refs got me wrong on a couple of catches,” Thomas said with a laugh.

“(Coach Schiano) shook my hand. And met my family. He asked me how the 7 on 7 was going. I told him after coming off a busy track season, the 7 on 7 is just a start in preparing for the upcoming football season.”

It is still early in his recruitment but the relationship between Thomas and the Scarlet Knights is strong and emerging. Thomas was offered by Rutgers football last fall following a Rutgers win over Wagner in their season opener.

He spent time after the game with coach Schiano, learned about the program and the opportunities he potentially has with the business school.

“I’ve been to Rutgers a couple of times. Basically, they’re like family,” Thomas said.

“They’ve always been by my side. I really like it over there. The atmosphere is crazy, the coaches really respect me.”

As for what is important for Thomas in his recruitment, he said that he may not want to play too far away from home as he “might get homesick if I’m too far away.” In terms of education, he’s looking for a school where he can get a quality degree and offers a good environment for a student-athlete.

On the field, he has goals as well.

“I want to play as a freshman – who doesn’t want to play early? But I’m going to try and put the grind in, try to put the grind in and see the field as a freshman,” Thomas said.

“I want it to be a family, be family. Be there for me. I want a family where I know they will always support me and I can support them.

“That’s really important for me. I always think I have someone by my side, someone who cares for me.”

This summer has been busy Thomas already, having attended camps at Penn State, Pittsburgh and Ohio State. He will be at Maryland in two weeks for a visit.

Georgia is a program to keep an eye on in his recruitment. The Bulldogs haven’t offered yet, but the relationship is growing with assistant coach Fran Brown.

Now the defensive backs coach at Georgia, Brown was a former secondary coach at Rutgers.

“After the Ohio State camp, coach Fran called me. Wanted me to come down there, have a workout, see how tall I am, weigh me in, and see me. Wants to have me in for a visit,” Thomas said.

“That’s really big. That would be my first SEC offer. Georgia is big in my family. Georgia and Alabama are big. I have family down there. They have a big rivalry between them when those teams play.”

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