ORT: 2011 Official College Football Recruiting Thread

[LionSB06]

Vitals: 5-9 / 215 / 4.50

Frequently Asked Questions

On tape, he looks a lot better than a 3-star. Why is he ranked there?
For much of the year, we ranked him there because of the uncertainty of his academic situation. Basically, if a kid has to go to JUCO or prep school and lose a year or two of eligibility, that makes him less valuable than a kid who will be in a program for four years. Also, Thomas' junior film, while good, was not the outstanding film we saw as a senior.

Where would he be ranked now?
I could not say for certain he'd be a 4-star, but he would be close now that the academic situation has been taken care of. I think he's a top 10 player in the state of Michigan.

How does he compare to Mark Ingram?
Their running styles are similar. I think Thomas may be a tad better in space. He could have played in Rich Rodriguez's offense. He has the hands and receiving ability to do that and play in the slot. I don't know that Ingram could have done that. What makes Ingram special other than his toughness, to me, is his vision and ability to make reads and find lanes. We'll see if Thomas has that part of his game.

Analysis: Rawls just looks like a running back. He's stocky, has a low center of gravity and he runs powerfully. He breaks arm tackles, has good balance and a north-south style where he does not waste a lot of time going laterally. He's able to make cuts and bounce off defenders at full speed and get himself going back towards pay-dirt. He has good speed and can break the long runs and also shows good hands in the passing game. We don't get to see any of him blocking, so that's an unknown part to his game, but he has all the other things you look for in a back.

Verdict: Michigan, I think, got a steal here. You watch the film and it's hard not to be impressed. He's a tough kid with speed and he's underrated as a receiver. It will be tough to keep him off the field for long.


That is Allen Trieu, scouts midwest guy, on Rawls

Sounds pretty good, so the grades are no longer a problem then? What happens if someone, regardless of school they are comitting to, ends up not getting their grades in check and they have already signed a LOI?

[Preacher_Boy]

Sounds pretty good, so the grades are no longer a problem then? What happens if someone, regardless of school they are comitting to, ends up not getting their grades in check and they have already signed a LOI?

I believe they don't get accepted to that school are released from the LOI and are free to go elsewhere

[TG7782]

Sounds pretty good, so the grades are no longer a problem then? What happens if someone, regardless of school they are comitting to, ends up not getting their grades in check and they have already signed a LOI?

You get released from the LOI and then they go to JC or somewhere less stringent, a la Demar Dorsey.

[Cheech]

Back to last year...a few days before NSD were we aware that we were in on Demar Dorsey or was he a NSD surprise? I mean I remember that day it was going back and forth but did he have an OV and someone we had on radar?

[TG7782]

Back to last year...a few days before NSD were we aware that we were in with Demar Dorsey or was he a NSD surprise?

NSD surprise for the most part, you could look up last years thread if you wanted to be sure.

[Preacher_Boy]

Back to last year...a few days before NSD were we aware that we were in with Demar Dorsey or was he a NSD surprise?

There was mention of Dorsey and Michigan, but no one was predicting him to sign with Michigan

[LionSB06]

I believe they don't get accepted to that school are released from the LOI and are free to go elsewhere

You get released from the LOI and then they go to JC or somewhere less stringent, a la Demar Dorsey.

Can that school then get another guy or is it generally to late and they just use it on a extra guy the next year?

[The Black Hand]

“Mark is probably one of the best guys ever to come through here. Mark was great, but there’s something about this kid Thomas. If I was to compare them as high school backs, give me Thomas Rawls.”

Fred Jackson Junior shares his father's gift.

Did Mark Ingram go to the same school as Rawls?

[Preacher_Boy]

Can that school then get another guy or is it generally to late and they just use it on a extra guy the next year?

if somebody was still unsigned they could get someone else, but pretty much everyone signs on nsd, so they would just bank that scholarship to the next year or maybe offer it to a walk on

[FastFreddie]

FWIW Sam Webb has stated repeated that Rawls is not only the best back in the state of Michigan, but also the best back in the Midwest. He has been saying this for the past few months, and for those of you that think Sam is just spinning things Blue, he has said Rawls is a better RB than UM commit Justice Hayes.

[LionSB06]

Was just looking at something on Scout and saw that the QB that comitted to MSU, Connor Cook is only a 2*. Thought he was supposed to be a pretty good prospect but that seems pretty darn bad.