Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class added its third four-star receiver today when Jayden Thomas announced his commitment to the Irish. The 6’1″, 205-pound Georgian has long been rumored to be a Notre Dame lean, with several ties to the program. He trains with fellow 2021 Irish commits Deion Colzie and Cane Berrong and attends the same high school as former Irish running back/content provider Mick Assaf, where oh by the way Assaf’s father is the headmaster. That school is Pace Academy in Atlanta, which has yielded a steady supply of FBS talent of late; since 2017, they’ve turned out OG Jamaree Salyer (#10 overall, Georgia), OL Andrew Thomas (#45 overall, Georgia, no relation), WR Trey Blount (#336 overall, Georgia), RB Deon Jackson (#947 overall, Duke), and a host of other lower-rated kids who have caught on at lower tier schools. Obviously Georgia will always be tough to beat for the top guys, but it never hurts to get a foot in the door.
Thomas visited Notre Dame for the Virginia Tech game last year and received his offer that weekend. The visit made a huge impression on him, as the Irish were the perceived leader right after and never really seemed threatened even as he took his time to make an official decision. Thomas will also play baseball at Notre Dame; that was cleared with both Brian Kelly and Link Jarrett a while ago and was a significant factor in Thomas’s recruitment. In his one season of varsity play to date, the outfielder posted a .387 batting average with 17 RBIs, 31 runs, and 14 steals in 22 games.
Happy birthday Grandma Love You🖤@shotbyjoel #staystrongsloan #committed pic.twitter.com/PmCftZxyZg
— “JT”Jayden Thomas (@jgpt333) October 2, 2020
Recruiting Service Rankings
247Sports Composite — 4 star (.9065), #260 overall, #45 WR, #23 in GA
247Sports — 3 star (87 rating), NR overall, #99 WR, #46 in GA
Rivals — 4 star (5.8 rating), #195 overall, #36 WR, #20 in GA
ESPN — 4 star (83 rating), #218 overall, #42 WR, #23 in GA
Irish Sports Daily — 4 star (90 rating)
Cohort
In addition to Notre Dame, Thomas holds offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State, among many others.
Highlights
Thomas is a little bit of a Kelly Leak figure for his high school; on this highlight reel you’ll find him at receiver, running back, wildcat quarterback, RPO quarterback, punt returner, and free safety. He won’t be that versatile at the next level, but wearing all those hats now says a lot about his athleticism and his team mindset. As a ball carrier he’s one of those guys who doesn’t look elite at most things but does look very good at everything. The first play shows him running as a wildcat QB, with a really nice cut around the line of scrimmage and solid acceleration to beat a couple of angles and get a clear lane for a score. That type of running ability appears over and over in this video.
He shows very good hands, making smooth catches in traffic and on oddly placed balls. His get-off and explosion in his cuts could be better, but I think that will come with time and practice; maybe he’s improved there already, since, as noted above, he’s been training with Colzie and Berrong at former Georgia standout Terrence Edwards’s facility. Probably my favorite aspect of his highlight reel is the toughness that Thomas shows as a blocker and a defender. Kelly said last cycle that they like finding offensive players who are also big hitters on defense – Kyren Williams and Braden Lenzy come to mind – because it says something about how they play the game, and it almost always translates to the next level. Agreed, Coach.
Impact
The receiver depth chart will be quite stacked in 2021 and it won’t be that light in 2022 either. Setting aside the mulligan that COVID has given everyone this year, Kevin Austin, Braden Lenzy, Lawrence Keys, Joe Wilkins, Jordan Johnson, Xavier Watts, and Jay Brunelle will all have eligibility through at least 2022 (they may not all stay, but they’ll have it). Thomas also will battle classmates Colzie and Lorenzo Styles, both more highly-touted prospects, for playing time. What I’m saying is, if Thomas gets meaningful snaps before before 2023 it will likely be because he has earned it. The guess here is that he’ll get a cup of coffee early to help his development and as an upperclassman he’ll be read to make a real impact. I do think he has the potential to be a starter eventually, it just might take a little while to get there. When he does, I expect him to bring a well-rounded, tough, and athletic skill set to the field.
Welcome to the Irish family, Jayden!
Also… I meant to point out the two-class take at WR. 2020 had five-star Jordan Johnson, severely underrated three-star Xavier Watts (I’d be comfortable putting him in the top 150, as would Jamie U. at ISD), and solid developmental three-star Jay Brunelle. The 2021 class now has #84 Deion Colzie, #114 Lorenzo Styles (arguably a better prospect than Colzie), and #260 Jayden Thomas.
No, neither is a class with Higgins and Ross (who by the way were in different classes, but I digress). But it’s a pretty damn good haul for two years, and there’s a chance we’re not done yet – the Irish are still recruiting #52 Donte Thornton and #295 Titus Mokiao-Atimalala (also underrated). Thornton is probably a long shot but TMA is most definitely not; landing him may also let the staff shift Styles over to CB, where many analysts feel he has five-star potential. Heady days indeed.
Thanks for the note. I was wondering if all this talent and depth might push Styles to defense or if he wants to play WR and was recruited strictly with offense in mind.
ND also jumps up to 9th in the rankings for recruiting class after this commit. Not quite top five like they desire but at least it’s single digits. That seemed really far-fetched what like 4-5 months ago.
WRs taking some time to crack the line up is the norm. Few show up and get playing time right away. It’s one reason ND went after Skowronek. Johnson and Watts not being probable contributors this year, even though they were highly regarded. Thomas shows good hands, the ability to fight for contested passes and toughness. He’s an excellent pick up.
/shooting daggers at Del Alexander
Love this pickup. I don’t think that Thomas has the ceiling that Colzie or Styles does, but his floor is very high and I just can’t see him being a bust.
Different body type, but I can see Thomas getting to the level of a Corey Robinson. I don’t think that he will contribute as early due to a full depth chart, but he could be a very effective #2 or a top level #3 receiver in a few years.
I just saw film of 2022 QB Steve Angeli’s first start… Impressive, big strong athlete with a strong arm. He was winging it all over the field…. We definitely want that kid.