De'Anthony Thomas was the prized piece of Lane Kiffin's 2011 recruiting class until he swapped allegiances to the Oregon Ducks the weekend before National Signing Day.
With WR Marqise Lee, LB Lamar Dawson and OL Marcus Martin starting already, the Trojans freshmen haul was one of the best in the country, but Kiffin would still rather have Thomas than game plan against him.
"He was one of the first commitments in this class and helped recruit this class," Kiffin explained. "At that point, you've been around him so much...you start to picture how he's going to fit in with all these other guys."
Thomas was a local legend at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles where he teamed with current Trojans LB Hayes Pullard and OL Marcus Martin. Kiffin envisioned him playing both ways at USC as a lock down cornerback and a versatile offensive weapon.
"The way that he can start and stop and how fast he can cut, he is really special," Kiffin compared Thomas to Reggie Bush. "That's why he was maybe the best player in the country."
For Oregon, Thomas has played offense and special teams. He has rushed for 366 yards and 5 TDs, caught 27 balls for 423 yards and 7 TDs, and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
With WR Marqise Lee, LB Lamar Dawson and OL Marcus Martin starting already, the Trojans freshmen haul was one of the best in the country, but Kiffin would still rather have Thomas than game plan against him.
"He was one of the first commitments in this class and helped recruit this class," Kiffin explained. "At that point, you've been around him so much...you start to picture how he's going to fit in with all these other guys."Thomas was a local legend at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles where he teamed with current Trojans LB Hayes Pullard and OL Marcus Martin. Kiffin envisioned him playing both ways at USC as a lock down cornerback and a versatile offensive weapon.
"The way that he can start and stop and how fast he can cut, he is really special," Kiffin compared Thomas to Reggie Bush. "That's why he was maybe the best player in the country."
For Oregon, Thomas has played offense and special teams. He has rushed for 366 yards and 5 TDs, caught 27 balls for 423 yards and 7 TDs, and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
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