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ASU Football: Khaylan Thomas gives his commitment to the Sun Devils

Thomas is the latest player to commit to ASU

Khaylan Thomas
Khaylan Thomas
Student Sports

Khaylan Thomas, a class of 2015 linebacker from Etiwanda, California gave his verbal commitment to the Sun Devils Tuesday night via his Twitter account.

Thomas is a three-star recuit according to Rivals and ESPN, but a four-star recruit according to 247sports.com. He stands 6-foot-0, weighs in at 217 pounds, and was fielding offers from Oregon, UCLA, USC, Utah, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Miami (FL) and Arizona among others according to Rivals.

ESPN ranked Thomas as the No. 42 recruit at his position in the country and the 70th best player in the state of California. Rivals ranks Thomas at No. 18 at linebacker and No. 62 in the state.

SBNation west coast recruiting analyst Derrell Wilson had this to say about Thomas in May in this article:

Thomas is an athlete with good size at 6'2, 220 pounds. He carries a strong base with room for growth in his upper body, and has the frame to reach 250. He's a fierce striker who is explosive on contact, and his powerful lower body enables him to be a very effective tackler.

Thomas is more of an B-gap to B-gap run stuffer than a linebacker who is going to run down plays to the sideline, and he's a high-effort player who flashes a good motor on film, often showing excellent backside pursuit.

Now, Thomas can be a bit tight-hipped when asked to change direction. He often has to gather his frame prior to re-directing his momentum, and functions better in tight areas where he can get downhill quickly and square up ball carriers.

On film there are several clip of Thomas coming off the edge and rushing the quarterback. At the next level however, he might project better shooting interior gaps as a blitzer in order to consistently create pressure. He has a good first step and is a quality finisher when he pursues the quarterback, but does lack ideal length and bend. Due to this, having him shoot interior gaps and avoiding longer, more athletic offensive tackles on the edge is likely the best way to maximize his blitzing effectiveness.

Thomas is the No. 14 recruit in the Sun Devils 2015 recruiting class and the second linebacker, joining fellow California native Malik Lawal.