Advertisement
football Edit

LSU program wins with Thomas' return

The LSU football program has had a great off-season with significant coaching hires and the makings of a strong recruiting class for 2017.

Thomas has hit the ground running since arriving back at LSU

One of the most positive news items for Les Miles and his program was the return of Player personnel director Austin Thomas after a very short stint at the University of Southern California. Thomas departed LSU soon after signing day despite Les Miles hoping he could convince Thomas to stay.

His desire to have Thomas be back as a part of the program didn’t cease after Thomas was already working in Los Angeles.

In the end, Les Miles got his man.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to be back here,” Thomas said. “We took the long way as we left and came back but for my family and I we just talked about what would be the best situation for us and my career.

“At the end of the day, 100-percent unequivocally that was coming back to LSU.”

When running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Frank Wilson departed at about the same time as Thomas that left a significant vacuum to the organization and it was certainly recognized by Miles and new recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron.

“We were excited about the opportunity when Coach Miles and Coach Orgeron and Joe Alleva presented it to us and we are extremely thankful for that.

“We are just excited to be back here as a part of the Tiger family and can’t wait to get rolling and continue to build on the success we have had in the past.”

Thomas being back in the fold has certainly been welcomed as the program hosted a very successful “Bayou Picnic” recruiting event several weekends ago and as the staff heads into the coming weeks of satellite camps and the first session of the Les Miles Tiger Football Camp.

Thomas was asked about the additional title of assistant athletics director to his Director of Player Personnel title.

“it really doesn't change a whole lot. I will have a few more responsibilities but nothing major that will take away from what we’ve done in the past,” Thomas said. “I think it allows me to continue to grow and expand my career as a professional and maybe take on some leadership roles.”

Thomas, who was named 2015 Player Personnel Director of the Year by FootballScoop doesn’t see there being much of a process difference in how things will be done now that Ed Orgeron is the recruiting coordinator versus Frank Wilson.

“I think it will be very similar, I will help Coach Orgeron on a daily basis with recruiting,” Thomas said. “I will play a very active role in that.

“I am thrilled to work a long side him. Of course, I came up a long side him and he’s kind of the first person who believed in me going back to Tennessee and going back to my first time at USC. He is the one who really gave me an opportunity first and treated me like his son. He’s been like a second father and has really changed my life.”

Thomas has worked in player personnel departments at three major schools and through his short but notable tenure he sees a NCAA rule that if changed could benefit him and others who share his job description in other football programs.

“Allowing us to go on the road would be nice because essentially you’re the one that are identifying and starting this process with these kids whether it’s building a relationship or gathering information,” Thomas said. “Then allowing us to evaluate players and call them. They’ve changed the texting rule so we can at least do that which is big time but before a month ago we couldn't do that. We could only reach out with Twitter.”

With LSU’s first satellite camp in Bossier City on Thursday, followed by one Saturday in New Orleans, Thomas sees diving into these events for the first time as a positive.

“First and foremost we are going to protect our state. We are excited about to get into the community to work with high school coaches and kids, as well as coaches from the other great institutions in Louisiana,” Thomas said. “I think it’s great for the prospects to be able to get whatever camp they want too and it be affordable and them be seen by multiple college coaches. They will be seen not just by power five schools but by all the programs in the state of Louisiana.

“It’s great for our coaches to be able to work with these young kids and really figure out who they are. A kid might not be a power five prospect but he will get exposed to the other great institutions in Louisiana where maybe he can play and earn a scholarship.”

Thomas also sees a downside when it comes to the already limited vacation time that coaches have with their families.

“It cuts down on summer time that is already very minimal at best but i am not going to try and view that as a negative because this is going to be the new norm in college football,” Thomas said. “We are just going to move forward and implement the best plan for us. It’s not necessarily about what everyone else is doing, it’s about what we are doing.”

Advertisement