ITH Interview: RB Jake Thomas
ITH Interview: RB Jake Thomas
Last week, Santa Margarita High School running back Jake Thomas announced his commitment to Boise State University. Despite his 5’9”, 190-pound frame, Thomas has proven himself to be a vital part of the Eagles offense. Thomas did suffer a minor leg injury that kept him out of the gridiron for a couple of weeks. But that didn’t seem to slow the California product one bit.
In an interview with Inside The Hashes, Thomas saw the injury not as a setback, but as an obstacle to hurdle over. “I took a little bit of bruising to my leg that knocked me out [for a couple weeks],” Thomas said. “At the end of the day, I healed up, came back, and not only made an impact on offense but on defense as a safety as well.”
As a running back, Thomas had his best season in 2018; rushing for nearly 1,000, clocking in five 100+ rushing yard performances, and scoring 14 touchdowns. All in just nine games, no less.
- “My best attribute would be my ability to give my team what it needs. Whether it’s a first down, throwing out a block, or a touchdown: I will go out there and get it, no matter what. I’m not a single-purpose back: I can do just about everything my coach needs me to do, and I won’t doubt or ask questions about it. I’m an all-around versatile running back,” Thomas said.
Despite having only played two years of high school football, Thomas has developed into an all-purpose back. Watching his Hudl.com tape, one can see that Thomas players much taller than he looks. He’s quick, has quite the vertical jump, brushes tacklers off like Jay-Z, and agile enough to avoid side armed tackles & break a defender’s ankles.
During the recruiting process, Thomas found that Boise’s football program possessed a quality that he believes every college football player finds essential: an accepting culture.
- “All the coaches seemed to be on the same page. They are of the mentality that if you are the best player, you’re going to play,” he said. “The culture there is really welcoming to people. Like they’ll accept you; they don’t judge, y’know? That’s something every college player wants.”
During his official visit to the home of the Broncos, Thomas had a chance to tour the famous Blue Field Turf at Albertsons Stadium. “It was awesome,” Thomas said about seeing the Blue Turf Field for the first time. “I’ve heard a lot of people talking about it. But at the end of the day, it’s just another football field to score touchdowns on, y’know? Still, it was really heartwarming just to go and step on it. Really made me feel like this was the right place for me and my family.”
Recently, Boise has had its own mini legacy in terms of running backs, with notable alumni including 2x Pro Bowler Doug Martin & Super Bowl LII Champion Jay Ajayi. But football legacies don’t concern Thomas. The only thing he’s worried about living up to is his own standard of excellence. Thomas said, “I’m not really into the whole legacy thing. As long as I do my job, and I know I gave it my best out on that field, that’s all that matters to me. My whole life, I’ve never looked up at certain running backs or had a role model, really. Everything I am, I based that off myself, knowing I can do better and improve each day.”
Thomas carries that mentality off the gridiron, too.
“Jake Thomas off the gridiron is someone that takes every day as an opportunity to learn something new [about business]. Whether it’s learning about local businesses or stocks, I am always pushing myself to read and study hard so that I can achieve the success I aim high for,” he said.
To Jake, his ultimate goal is simple: support his family, just as they have supported him since he started his football journey.
- “Long term goal is to make enough money to start paying my family back for everything they’ve invested into me,” said Thomas. “Whether it’s starting my own business or going pro, I want to help my family and provide for them in the same way they did for me… I believe God has a plan for me to play football and take every opportunity that it provides me with at that point in time.”
With summer training slowly creeping up, and Thomas prepares for his first taste of ravenous environment that is D-1 college football, Thomas says that Broncos fans should expect “… 100 percent effort and dedication on my part towards the program. They’re going to get someone that is going to add value and a competitive edge to their team, not inhibit them.”
-By: Juan Pablo Guarin-Camargo