After a two-day visit to campus, defensive lineman Eyan Thomas had no problem becoming the second Saint Francis defender to continue his college career in College Park. Two years after linebacker Donnell Brown made the same jump as an All-NEC selection to the Power Four school closest to home, Thomas made his way to campus for a visit beginning Tuesday, Dec. 17 into the 19th as the 6-foot-3, 325-pound interior lineman finalized his portal recruitment.
“It actually caught me by surprise because it’s funny – I know I live close but I kept asking ‘do I want to go to Maryland?’ I went and I fell in love with it,” Thomas told IBG. “Fell in love with the coaches and the whole school by itself. That was my first time at the university. I’ve been to Maryland plenty of times but to actually see College Park, especially at night time, lit up, it was beautiful scenery.”
Thomas also had others in his corner validating the fit both on and off the field in College Park: “My [defensive] coordinator at Saint Francis, he played under the linebacker’s coach at Maryland so he said a lot of good things about them. And they also had another player from my school a year before I got there, Donnell [Brown], it was also that. They trusted Saint Francis.”
Though the two didn’t overlap while at Saint Francis, the two were able to connect as Thomas got a different perspective on what life is life in the program. “I was actually on the phone with Donnell yesterday, talking about what’s to be expected, giving me a little rundown and spill of the tea.”
After redshirting in 2023, Thomas rose to stardom for Saint Francis where he appeared in all 11 games and finished third on the team in sacks (3.5) and fourth in TFLs (7) in addition to three quarterback hurries. It was enough to land Thomas an All-NEC First-Team selection, and during his visit in College Park, Maryland turned to the tape to prove to the rising redshirt sophomore why he’s a need in College Park.
“We went over it in meetings, showed me what I will be doing and what’s to be expected as they groom me into the monster that I am. I feel like stopping the run, that’s my specialty. Getting off blocks, clog the hole up and get after it. My athleticism goes a long way with my size so I’m ready to put that on display,” Thomas said.
“I believe in coach [Brian Williams]. I believe he’ll get me to the next level along with the rest of the coaches.”
Thomas joins a flurry of public transfer portal commitments for Maryland after WR Jalil Farooq, TE Dorian Fleming, CB Jamare Glasker and CB Dontay Joyner announced their decisions. WR Kaleb Webb became the first public portal pledge of the offseason.
He heads to College Park with three years of eligibility remaining.
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