If you haven't heard much about Niceville athlete Junanyeh Thomas you will soon. He's the type of player that never comes off the football field, and he has the size and athleticism to play Power Five college football. He is committed to Florida A&M at the moment but it appears that his recruitment is far from over.
Niceville's season didn't end like Thomas hoped. The Eagles lost a heartbreaker in the opening round of the plays to an extremely tough St. Augustine squad. While the season was far from a failure, Thomas was not satisfied.
"One thing I learned from this season is that we have to work harder to get where we want to get. Next year people can expect a more focused Niceville team. We A will be locked in," assured Thomas.
Thomas transferred to Niceville from Walton this past summer when his family moved. He was the star player at his former school where he picked off eight passes and returned five for touchdowns. This season, he was used as a deep threat for John Hick's offense, catching 27 passes for 614 yards (22.7 average) and 4 touchdowns including an 80-yarder.
"This season was a new beginning for me and I wouldn't trade my decision for anything. All I wanted to accomplish this year was to be a team player and help my team win in anyway I could, and I was more explosive on offense this year."
There is enough film out there to support Thomas's notion that he is willing to do whatever his coach asks him to do, and that he does what's asked of him at a high level.
While he is somewhat under the radar for a player with his physical attributes and productivity, his talents have not gone completely unnoticed. He has received an invite to the US Army All-American Bowl Combine, which is a crucial step in receiving an invite to the prestigious HS All-Star game. Thomas expressed excitement and gratitude for the invite.
While he is committed to Florida A&M, he also holds and offer from UCF, other teams are in pursuit of Thomas's services.
"I am still in contact with FSU. Other schools that are interested in me are Alabama, Florida, Georgia tech, Louisiana Lafeyette, and of course Florida A&M," said Thomas.
Outside of FAMU, Thomas confirmed that his top 3 schools are Alabama, FSU, and Florida.
Thomas is an exceptional athlete that should make some major noise in the camp and 7-0n-7 circuit. But all of that will have to wait for the moment. Thomas is an exceptional shooting guard on the hardwood (he averaged 12.5 points and 7.6 boards for Walton in 2015) and he also runs track. He will run the 400 this season as well as compete in the triple and long jump. He has a personal record of 45 feet in the triple jump and 25 feet in the long jump. As busy as he is participating in high school athletics, Thomas said his favorite sport is football and the film will confirm that he is a football player who runs track, not the other way around.
Juanyeh is definitely one to watch this off-season to make a surge on the recruiting scene, you heard it here first.