Cree Thomas will follow the same path as Notre Dame sophomore cornerback Benjamin Morrison.
Thomas, a junior cornerback at Phoenix Brophy Prep, announced Monday a verbal commitment to Notre Dame. Morrison also played at Brophy Prep before signing with Notre Dame’s 2022 class.
"It has been a dream of mine to play on the biggest stage ever since I was little," Thomas wrote in a message to Inside ND Sports on Monday. "Notre Dame will make this dream a reality! Thank you God and Go Irish!”
SUBSCRIBE TO INSIDE ND SPORTS TO STAY IN THE KNOW ON NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO INSIDE ND SPORTS ON YOUTUBE
Thomas, a three-star recruit, attended Notre Dame’s home games against USC and Pittsburgh in October and watched Morrison excel in those Irish victories.
Notre Dame cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens and head coach Marcus Freeman have prioritized Thomas since offering him on St. Patrick’s Day for Notre Dame’s Pot of Gold recruiting event in March. Thomas then visited the Irish in April.
“I really enjoyed talking to coach Mickens and talking about what he teaches and what he preaches and to all of his corners,” Thomas said after his April visit. “I also really enjoyed talking to coach Freeman. They really honed in on academics and life after football. I really felt it was cool that they cared about me as an individual and as a person and not just as an athlete for the team.”
When college football programs could directly contact recruits on Aug. 1, Notre Dame was the first to reach out to Thomas at midnight. Thomas committed to Notre Dame after also making game visits to Arizona and Wisconsin this season. He had offers from Oregon, Arizona State, California, Purdue, Boston College and others.
Rivals ranks Thomas as the No. 31 cornerback in the 2025 class. Morrison, who became a Freshman All-American at Notre Dame last season, was a four-star recruit and the No. 30 cornerback in his class.
"What stands out most about Thomas' game is that he has incredible position versatility and that should only help him once he gets to South Bend," said Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney. "In his junior season, Thomas has been playing a lot more safety and nickel coverage, and he has at least five interceptions, so he's been productive.
"Thomas is a little bit of a ballhawk, too, someone who's really smart and sees where the play is going and then has the athletic ability to pick it off. From talking with Thomas, to seeing him on the field at numerous positions, there's little doubt he's a very good fit in terms of what Notre Dame wants in its defensive backs."
Thomas gives Notre Dame its ninth commitment in the 2025 class. He joins four others on defense: four-star defensive tackle Davion Dixion and three-star defensive ends CJ May, Joseph Reiff and Dominik Hulak.
Rivals ranks Notre Dame’s class third in the country behind No. 1 Alabama (eight commits) and No. 2 Georgia (eight).
---------------------------------------------------------------
• Talk with Notre Dame fans on The Insider Lounge.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, Podbean or Pocket Casts.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports channel on YouTube.
• Follow us on Twitter: @insideNDsports, @EHansenND, @TJamesND and @cbowles01.
• Like us on Facebook: Inside ND Sports
• Follow us on Instagram: @insideNDsports
