What it Means: Utes Add Former 2018 Rivals 250 RB Thomas

The University of Utah received a late 2021 commitment over the weekend from 2021 JuCo running back Tavion Thomas. The 6-foot-2 and 225 pound back is played one season at Independence Community College after two seasons at Cincinnati where he averaged 5.3 yards on 129 career carries.

His commitment comes a little over one week after Utah’s offer. He made his intentions known on Twitter:

What Utah is getting:

Out of high school, Thomas was a 4-Star back in the Rivals 250 (no. 239 overall). He had over 27 offers in 2018 including Alabama and LSU. He took official visits to Cincinnati, Ohio State, and Oklahoma.

He’s a big bruising back who has lost close to ten pounds since transferring from Cincinnati to Independence Community College. Despite his size, he’s nimble and ran track in high school, taking state as he anchored the 4x100-meter relay team at Dunbar HS in Dayton, Ohio.

At Cincinnati he proved to be a versatile back who could not only hammer it inside but also hit the edges. For his size, he shows good cutting ability in the open field and surprising speed once he hits the second level.

Despite his potential at Cincinnati, Thomas played behind Michael Warren Jr. who was the first Bearcat to leave Cincinnati early for the NFL Draft. He also had to wait his turn behind Gerrid Doaks.

Thomas is a sneaky good addition that Utah is adding to their running backs room.

What this means for the class:

Most would have expected or hoped for the Utes to get a commitment from either a receiver or a safety—both positions in which the staff is still working on. However, a talent like Thomas was just too good to pass up as the Utes see an opportunity for the 2021 Pac-12 title and are going all in on it. Thomas’ addition will give Utah five scholarships running backs in the fall and while all of Micah Bernard, Chris Curry and TJ Pledger proved themselves capable during the spring, Thomas has a golden opportunity once he arrives on campus.