Editor’s note: The Star is counting down the top high school football players in Tucson. Up next: Canyon del Oro two-way star Jordan Thomas.
Name: Jordan Thomas
Rundown: Thomas is a 5-foot-10-inch, 175-pound senior running back and cornerback.
Who he is: For the last two seasons, Thomas dominated for the neighboring Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks, with 125 carries for 1,006 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging nearly 92 yards per game.
However, Thomas transferred to CDO in the offseason because Ironwood Ridge “wasn’t a good space for what I was trying to do with my future.”
Due to Arizona Interscholastic Association’s transfer rules, Thomas will have to sit out the first five games of this season, and will return Oct. 14 for the Dorados’ contest at Douglas.
“That’s definitely the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make so far, because when you transfer, you’re betting on yourself, especially since I have to sit out the first five games of the season,” Thomas said. “It was difficult, but you do what you gotta do to move forward and better your career and what you’re trying to do.”
"It was difficult, but you do what you gotta do to move forward and better your career and what you're trying to do," said Jordan Thomas, left, of leaving I-Ridge for CDO.
When Thomas returns to the lineup, his big-play ability is going to be the ideal counterpart to CDO junior running back Kayden Luke, “who is just a bruiser.”
“I think we can make some noise with that guy who’s a bruiser, then give the ball to a kid who can go 90 (yards),” said Dorados head coach Dustin Peace. “That’s going to be a game-changer for us.
“The thing we lacked last year was being explosive, scoring touchdowns from 50 or 60 yards. We didn’t have that, and he’s definitely that kind of kid, so I think that changes who we are offensively.”
Added Peace: “Without a doubt, he’s an explosive player. He’s a great young man just by the way he works. Everything that he’s done, he’s just been so humble. He’s quiet, but he’s competitive, and he’s fitting in great. But on top of that, I didn’t realize he was so talented.”
Last season, Peace’s Dorados defeated Ironwood Ridge 26-22 and held Thomas to 41 yards on eight carries. The Dorados see a different, much better version of Thomas in practice.
“Having played him for the last two years, you see him on film and you’re like, ‘OK, he’s good,’ but having the chance to work with him daily, he’s got to be one of the best cornerbacks we’ve ever had at CDO,” Peace said. “He’ll get attention for running the ball and catching the ball, because he’s so explosive, but I think he’s a Division I (cornerback).
“In high school, it’s tough because if you’re good at corner, no one is going to throw the ball and they’re going to throw the other way. It’s a hard spot to get a lot of attention, but man, he’s going to complement what we do.”
Jordan Thomas gets into the Marana backfield on a second-quarter carry last season.
So far, everything has gone according to plan for Thomas as he prepares for his final high school football season.
“Talk about workers,” Thomas said of CDO. “From the first day I came in, everyone was just working, so it keeps me motivated to keep pushing. Even when you can’t go anymore, you have to keep going, because everyone else is. It’s just a good group of people to be around. They’ve been super open and helpful to me, and they’re just a good group of guys.”
Proof he’s good: In Thomas’ final season at Ironwood Ridge, he was named the Class 5A Sonoran Region Player of the Year and earned all-region honors as a kick returner.
During offseason 7-on-7 tournaments earlier this summer, Thomas was the Dorados’ top performer at wide receiver and cornerback.
“During 7-on-7, he just took over,” Peace said. “Every event we were at, he was the best receiver and best corner. Every event. He’s a great football player — both sides of the ball.”
He said it: “He’s an all-around football player — offense, defense, special teams — and just a great young man, too. I’m super surprised that he hasn’t gotten any Division I attention. I think — I don’t think, I know — he’s a Division I-caliber kid. If we have the season we have, he’ll have the attention he deserves.” — Peace
