Wisconsin commit Nick Thomas looks to lead IMG Academy football in 2014

Linebacker Nick Thomas was looking for an opportunity to earn positive college exposure and improve his game. During the spring of 2013, he took a fateful trip to Bradenton, Fla. to participate in IMG Academy's Kickoff Weekend camp. After a long weekend, the promising linebacker from Concordia, Kan. made a life-changing decision to enroll full-time at IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) on his mission to earning a scholarship with a Division I football program.

"I just fell in love with the campus and all the opportunities that I could have here," Thomas said of his thoughts on IMG Academy after that first fateful camp. "Coming from such a small town, going to IMG was the only choice for me if I wanted to play big-time college football, because staying home I wouldn't have gotten the looks, or had nearly the amount of coaches come to see me."

The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder earned his fair share of looks after an impressive 2013 campaign. During spring practices, Thomas earned his first college offer from the Big 10's Wisconsin Badgers. Less than a month later, after visiting the Madison campus, Thomas made a solid verbal commitment to the Badgers.

"I saw the campus and met all the coaches, and I just instantly knew that it was the right place for me and I needed to go ahead and commit," remarked Thomas. "The facilities were great, the players were awesome, the coaches were amazing - it's just a perfect fit."

Thomas added, "I knew I wanted to get a commitment done so I could focus on my senior season, and since I'm graduating early. With such a perfect fit, committing to the Badgers just made sense."

During the 2013 regular season, Thomas finished second on the team with 99 tackles (65 solo, 34 asst.), helping keep the Ascenders among the area's leaders in total defense on their way to an 8-2 record. However, the two Ls on the record left Thomas and his teammates with a sour taste in their mouths. Looking ahead to 2014, the team has a goal of taking care of unfinished business, especially with the Oct. 17 date against defending Florida 3A state champs Trinity Christian looming:

"Every game we play has to be circled on the calendar and treated with the same amount of intensity, regardless of who we play, but this year's Trinity game, that one's a little different. We're not going to go any lighter on anyone else, but that first loss against Trinity last year left a bad taste in our mouth."

Thomas has gone to great lengths to prepare for 2013, and kicked off the spring by participating in IMG Academy's track & field program to work with world-renowned coach Loren Seagrave. It was the first time Thomas had run track since he was a seventh-grader in Kansas.

"I didn't care about records or distance or times in my events," said Thomas. "I did track and field here to get faster and work with Coach [Loren] Seagrave, who is such a great guy and amazing coach. I learned so much and got a lot faster - my 40 times are much better."

Thomas was able to shave two-tenths of a second off his average 40-yard dash time, going from consistent 4.7-4.8s times, down to 4.5-4.6 marks. Competitively, Thomas competed in several meets in the 100m and 200m dash, 4x100m relay, shot-put and discus.

Once spring practices kicked off in May, Thomas shifted focus entirely to football, and with a new season comes new expectations and goals. One new addition the team has enjoyed looking ahead to next season is the new state-of-the-art 40,000 square foot fieldhouse that is home to the football program. Although, Thomas says the new facility has heightened the team's expectations of themselves:

"I feel like it's putting everyone on notice that we're trying to raise the bar and be the best football team in the country…"

Thomas and his defensive teammates are doing everything to raise their level of play following their impressive 2013 campaign in, which they earned a reputation as one of the stingiest and hardest-hitting defenses in the state of Florida:

"Kick butt or don't come home - that was literally a sign we had above our doors in our rooms, because we don't care who we're playing, we want to dominate everyone the same way, no matter what their classification or schedule or record on the year."

Thomas loves the game, but he is also able to balance a demanding schedule that begins with 6:00 a.m. daily weightlifting session with strength and conditioning coach Eric Grantham before class:

"Being away from my family here, working with Coach Grantham and having a father-figure like him to always push me to be my best is great. When I first got here, I didn't look at all like I do today, and he's been a big part of helping me to improve my body and my technique. That discipline he instills carries over into everything else we do on the field."

Following the workout, Thomas refuels with a quick breakfast and darts off to class. Thomas is one of the most academically accomplished student-athletes enrolled at IMG Academy, maintaining a near-perfect GPA as a member of the National Honor Society. His favorite courses are his AP Language Arts classes with teacher Steinur Bell.

"The classes are harder than most other schools, but it works perfectly for me," Thomas said. "You have to put in a lot of effort and it's not easy, but I know we're going to all be so much better prepared for college."

After class, the Kansas native takes in lunch before transitioning to football practice. Thomas spends an hour in team meetings before taking the field to work with Defensive Coordinator Joe Sturdivant and Linebackers Coach Tommy Langford:

"I work equally with Coach Sturdivant and Coach Langford now that I'm playing some safety. Working with them I've improved my technique and everything about my game. They've also become father figures to me, always teaching life lessons and sharing all their knowledge and experience in the game with me."

He added, "Learning Coach Sturdivant's defense has been a lot of fun for nearly two years. He's a genius with defense, his scheme is really good and it's shown on the field - it has definitely prepared me to learn a college defense."
 
Spring practices ended on May 22 with an intra-squad scrimmage. Thomas wrapped up his classes and is taking summer courses to stay on course to graduate early in December. Thomas plans to enroll at Madison then to get started on his college coursework and take part in spring ball with the Badgers.