Notre Dame Lands Swiss Army Knife On The Back End With Cree Thomas

Notre Dame received a big commitment on Monday from 2025 Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy College Prep star cornerback Cree Thomas. The Irish staff had prioritized Thomas very early on in this process. When you pop on his sophomore film, you can see why. Then you pop on the junior film, and you see an even more interesting skill set. Having played both cornerback and safety in his career so far, the versatility he brings to the table is outstanding. Let’s take a look at everything Thomas brings to the table for the Irish.

CORNERBACK BACKGROUND

The cornerback label is going to be slapped on Thomas immediately, which is the spot that he has the most experience at. At that position, Thomas has some nice upside to develop into a playmaker with his combination of length, movement and ball skills. As an outside cornerback, Thomas profiles best in a heavy zone coverage system. In that role, you can really see his spatial awareness shine through. Thomas has an uncanny understanding of where things are happening on the field, and how offenses are trying to attack.

Sometimes cornerbacks can get impatient on the backside of plays. On this one in particular, you can see Thomas stay patient and read the quarterback’s eyes and posture. Once he comes back his way, he falls back on the route and finishes for a big interception. That feel for his age is very advanced. When you look at Thomas, you might get the assumption that he is a strict cover cornerback who won’t make an impact as a tackler due to his sleek frame. That would be a very bad assumption. Thomas has outstanding effort in both the run, and screen game to make plays.

You can see him on this screen meet a blocker out in space, arrive with force and beat the block with his physicality. Thomas rids the block and makes the tackle for no gain. Once he gains more mass to his frame, Thomas has a chance to be excellent tackling in space.

SAFETY TRANSFORMATION

As a junior, Thomas has played a majority of his reps at safety. It was a decision that seemed a little puzzling early on based on his success at cornerback. Then you popped on the film, and the Arizona native looks excellent. You can quickly see the cornerback background once you pop on Thomas’ junior film. That gives you some hope that he can play in some man coverage on the next level, or maybe even have some upside at nickelback. In off coverage, you can see the click and close ability for Thomas to arrive at the football.