By Lori Lyons
Perhaps no one had a harder time with the recruiting process than Hahnville senior linebacker Dwaine Thomas.
Over the past three years, a steady stream of college scouts and coaches have made their way to the youngster’s Hahnville home, some promising the moon and offering the world. Thomas said it often wasn’t easy weeding out the pretenders.
“It was really hard,” he said. “When you’re talking to them, you know that they’re all there for the same reason. And all of them are really good at what they do. You kind of get a vibe from them. Some guys come in and talk to you and you kind of build like a relationship with them. Some of them, you never hear from them again.”
Still, Thomas was thrilled when he got his first scholarship offer from Tulane, shortly after his sophomore season as a Tiger. But then the offers came at a steady pace, and it was enough to make his head spin.
After a quick visit to Louisiana Tech in the spring of 2014, he committed to the Bulldogs. But after a longer visit to Louisiana-Lafayette in the fall, he flipped to the Cajuns. Then he spent his whole senior season wondering where he would end up.
“When I went to La. Tech, it was a really quick visit,” he said. “And they made me an offer. Then I got to go to UL and I stayed longer and really got to see everything. When UL offered me, I really liked UL, and it was really because I wanted to make sure I had a place to go in case something happened to me.”
But the offers kept coming, and they kept getting bigger – LSU, Kansas, Indiana, Texas Tech and Texas A&M included. Thomas’ dream of playing “big time college football” appeared to be coming true. Throughout his senior season, in which he earned All-State honors for recording 131 tackles and 15 sacks, Thomas developed a rapport with LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis. When Chavis himself flipped to become the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M, recruiting watchers across the south watched and waited for Thomas’ next move.
“They always told us, ‘don’t go to a school because of a coach,’” Thomas said. “Because, anything can happen.”
Thomas learned that first-hand when Hahnville replaced longtime head coach Lou Valdin with Nick Saltaformaggio before the 2015 season. The change proved to be beneficial for Thomas.
“He came in with a lot of energy and that transferred to us,” Thomas said. “And, the type of guy he is, he really pushes you.”
In the end, Thomas elected to follow Chavis to Texas A&M and live out his dream. He announced his decision via his Twitter account on Jan. 15. On Feb. 4, he and his teammates, along with eight players from Destrehan, signed their national letters of intent at a ceremony hosted by the St. Charles Parish School Board.
“It’s a great program,” he said. “They always seem to have the best athletes.”
Convincing his mom might be a little harder. “She wanted me to stay closer to home,” he said. “But she supports me whatever I do.”
A full list and pictures of all the players–and the colleges they chose–are available in the Feb. 12 edition of the St. Charles Herald-Guide.
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