Notre Dame has struck again in the Peach State.
Atlanta Pace Academy class of 2021 wide receiver Jayden Thomas took to social media to announce his commitment to the Fighting Irish on Friday afternoon.
Thomas committed to Notre Dame over Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. He also plans to play baseball for Link Jarrett’s Irish program.
“My family and I sat down and had a great talk. They asked me what’s the place for me, and I said Notre Dame.” Thomas told BlueandGold.com about his decision. “It can do it a lot for me academically, culturally, and on the baseball and football fields.”
He came to his decision earlier in September but waited to announce it until Oct. 2, a special day for Thomas’ family.
“I’ve kind of known for a while, and with my grandmother’s birthday coming up, why not?” Thomas explained. “I found out where my home would be and wanted to let the world know. I wanted to do something special for her.
“She means the world to me. She’s always there for me. I love her to death.”
Thomas informed Irish wide receivers coach Del Alexander of his decision to commit. His bond with Alexander was a key part of his decision.
“He was really excited,” Thomas said. “He welcomed me into the family. My parents were excited for me; it was a sigh of relief knowing that their son is going to play college football and have an education paid in full.
“Over quarantine, our bond really became closer, whether it was on Zoom showing me plays or watching film of my favorite receiver Julio Jones. He’s a family guy and talked to my parents all of the time. He’s really been there for me during my recruiting process.”
Notre Dame’s push in April and May put the Irish over the top of other schools. The foundation of their recruitment of Thomas was built in January when Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly visited Pace Academy.
“That was his first time coming here,” Thomas said. “We’ve had big-time recruits here, but for him to come down here just for me was pretty cool. It shows how they feel about me.”
“Kelly coming was big,” Pace Academy head coach Chris Slade added. “Him making his presence known was huge. Jayden was already excited about Notre Dame, but I think Kelly coming — the head guy has to show his face with the top recruits.
“[Kelly and I] talked about Jayden and said, ‘This could work.’ Jayden fits in what Notre Dame stands for as an institution. We both felt very comfortable about his fit at Notre Dame. Pace and Notre Dame aren’t for every kid. We just do things differently.
“If you want to get a great education first and play football, then you go to a place like Pace or Notre Dame. They’re very comparable. The students and athletes walk through the same door.”
Notre Dame kicked around the idea of going after Thomas as a defensive back, and while he potentially could end up moving to defense if receiver doesn’t work out, the Irish staff loves his ability at receiver and took his commitment at that position.
“He’s very coachable,” Slade said. “When your best player is a guy who is the most coachable, everyone else just falls in line and it makes my job much easier. He has no problem taking scout team reps.
“He’ll do whatever you ask him to do. He'll punt if you need him to. I’ll bring him down with my defensive linemen on third-and-long situations and rush the passer.
Thomas is Notre Dame’s third receiver commit of the 2021 class, joining Pickerington (Ohio) Central’s Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Athens (Ga.) Academy’s Deion Colzie. Thomas and Colzie have known each other for years and have the same wide receiver trainer — Terrence Edwards, a former standout at the University of Georgia.
Thomas played in the 2017 FBU 8th-Grade All-American Bowl, and his quarterback in the game will be the same young man he’ll be catching passes from in South Bend.
“Tyler Buchner is a great guy, first of all,” Thomas stated. “I’ve watched his film, and it’s crazy good. I had the chance to play on the same team as him in middle school. He could even spin the ball then.”
Rivals ranks Thomas as a four-star talent, the No. 20 prospect in Georgia, and the No. 36 wide receiver and No. 195 overall player nationally.
----
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Sign up for Blue & Gold's news alerts and daily newsletter
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @Rivals_Singer, @PatrickEngel_, @MasonPlummer_ and @AndrewMentock.
• Like us on Facebook.
