The Arizona Wildcats will have a new No. 8 next season — defensive back Leo Thomas from San Antonio.
Thomas secured quarterback Nick Foles’ old uniform number this weekend as he committed to Arizona and new coach Rich Rodriguez on his official visit.
“I’m going to be stylin’ that number,” Thomas said Tuesday night.
It’s not even his high school number — he wore No. 11 at Sam Houston High — but it is the number he wore when he first started playing football. Arizona could also award No. 8 to an offensive player, but Thomas hopes he keeps the number high in prominence by playing early in his career.
At 6-3 and 185 pounds, Thomas is the kind of rangy defensive back that could fit any of the three safety spots in defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel’s 3-3-5 scheme … perhaps even cornerback.
“Right off the top, they said I could play any DB spot I wanted,” Thomas said.
“They said I’m the kind of player they need out there, whether it’s freelancing at free safety or playing one of the extra safety spots and being closer to the line and covering passes in the flat.”
Thomas is the second defensive back to commit to Arizona from last week’s group of eight visitors. The other was Yamen Sanders from Culver City (Calif.) High School.
For Thomas, he was actually re-committing to Arizona. He said yes to Arizona’s former coaching staff in August, but de-committed when coach Mike Stoops was fired. Rodriguez and his staff renewed the pursuit.
“I was cool with the other coaching staff, but I hadn’t been there to see the place,” Thomas said. “And then I saw the place, and it was real nice out there.”
He also took a recruiting trip to Colorado in December.
“When I went, it was freezing,” he said. “It was too cold.”
Thomas is rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Scout.com and 247sports.com.
NOTE: Quarterback Devin Fuller, who began an official visit to Arizona on Tuesday, told 247sports.com he would announce his decision at 5 p.m. ET Sunday. Fuller, from Old Tappan, N.J., is rated the 34th-best prospect in the country by 247sports.com.
Arizona Wildcats 2012 football recruiting class
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | School |
|
Javelle Allen
|
QB
|
6-1
|
205
|
Prosper (Texas) HS
|
|
Jarrell Bennett
|
WR
|
5-10
|
155
|
Edna Karr (New Orleans)
|
|
Gerron Borne
|
DT
|
6-3
|
280
|
East St. John HS (Reserve, La.)
|
|
Beau Boyster
|
OT
|
6-4
|
285
|
St. John Bosco HS (Bellflower, Calif.)
|
|
Julian Brooks
|
WR
|
6-3
|
200
|
Sierra Canyon HS (Chatsworth, Calif.)
|
|
Cayman Bundage
|
OL
|
6-2
|
293
|
Douglass HS (Oklahoma City)
|
|
Dakota Conwell
|
LB
|
6-1
|
205
|
Upper Saint Clair HS (Pittsburgh)
|
|
C.J. Dozier
|
LB
|
6-1
|
200
|
Chaparral HS (Temecula, Calif.)
|
|
Trey Griffey
|
WR
|
6-2
|
190
|
Dr. Phillips HS (Orlando, Fla.)
|
|
T.D. Gross
|
OL
|
6-6
|
260
|
Santana HS (Santee, Calif.)
|
|
Zach Hemmila
|
OL
|
6-3
|
275
|
Chandler HS
|
|
Kyle Kelley
|
DE
|
6-3
|
205
|
Woodbridge HS (Irvine, Calif.)
|
|
Josh Kern
|
QB
|
6-5
|
190
|
Clark HS (San Antonio)
|
|
Anthony Lopez
|
RB
|
5-10
|
180
|
Mesquite HS (Gilbert)
|
|
Dwight Melvin
|
DE
|
6-1
|
265
|
Betty H. Fairfax HS (Laveen)
|
|
Yamen Sanders
|
S
|
6-4
|
185
|
Culver City (Calif.) HS
|
|
Leo Thomas
|
DB
|
6-3
|
185
|
Sam Houston HS (San Antonio)
|