5-star OG Thomas impressing at Opening Finals, will officially visit UM

Southern University Lab (LA) 5-star OG Kardell Thomas is one of the top offensive linemen in the class of 2019 and gave a top-notch performance out here at the Opening Finals on Sunday in drill work and 1-on-1 play.

“The main thing about these guys is they’re very good,” Thomas said on the defensive line field. “If you lean too much, you might get snatched. If you throw up your hands first, they’ll slap them down, so you got to really got to have good technique and also be aggressive. There’s a lot of work that goes into it and it has to be taken very seriously.”

Thomas knows he has a lot of expectations and even has a target on his back at such a premier event.

“My main goal here is to… you know I’m a five-star, I have to live up to that,” Thomas said. “I want to get a piece of everybody here.”

After a rep in which he grabbed a defensive lineman’s facemask, Thomas got into it with his opponent and shoved him after the whistle.

“It’s just, when I get mad… I don’t like people to even think I get beat,” Thomas said. “Once I get mad, I’m a whole other beast.”

Despite his commitment to LSU, Thomas has been showing interest in other programs and taking visits. One of those programs? The Miami Hurricanes. Thomas actually showed up on campus two weeks back for the Mark Richt summer camp and got the red carpet treatment by the UM staff.

“Oh yeah, it was great. I’m going back on an official,” Thomas said on UM. “It’s a true paradise like everyone says. Me never being in Miami, and for my first time there, it felt very, very special. Like I said, I’ll definitely be back.”

And Thomas wasn’t just saying what Canes fans want to hear: he’s already set his five official visits (one to Miami) in terms of schools, although no dates have been set in stone just yet.

“I’ll be taking all five (official visits): USC, Penn State, Oklahoma, Miami, LSU,” Thomas said. “I’ll probably take my first one at the end of July, and the rest of them will probably be the first part of my senior season.”

While his commitment to LSU remains, Thomas maintains that the Tigers are only in the pole position at this moment and that he is open to flipping his commitment if the right school becomes clear.

“I’m solid to LSU, but at the same time, you have to make sure you look at certain things,” Thomas said. “The way things are going, something could happen (a potential flip). That Signing Day in December is going to be something to watch.”

What is Thomas looking for most in his program of choice?

“I just want to be treated well,” Thomas said. “I’m not saying I’m mistreated, but you can tell about a school: when they want you, they want you.”

So, is he feeling like he’s treated well by the Canes staff?

“Oh yes. You know Miami, coach Searels, coach Richt, they never stop talking to me.”