Ambry Thomas is staying close to home. The 4-star cornerback announced his decision to attend the University of Michigan, staying in his home state.
Thomas made the announcement official with a video on YouTube:
A rising playmaker out of Detroit Martin Luther King High School, Thomas is the No. 58 player overall and fifth-best corner in the class of 2017, per Scout.
The overwhelming expectation throughout Thomas’ recruitment was that he would stay in Michigan. The Wolverines had a 93 percent mark on 247Sports’ Crystal Ball, leaving the remaining 7 percent for Michigan State. A number of schools received unofficial visits, but Michigan and Michigan State understandably got a majority of those looks.
Michigan also made a big impression on his mother, Carmen Thomas.
She told Sam Webb of the Detroit News:
I was very impressed. My biggest take away was the M-PACT (Michigan Professional and Career Transition) program because a lot of the colleges get the kids there to win, win, win – and nobody is concerned with what’s going on after the fact. That was big to me. They keep the kids focused. ‘You’re here to play, but there’s a career after the fact so let’s get this in order.’
Thomas is listed at 5’11 ½” and 170 pounds, which is still a little slight but an improvement over where he was a year ago. That extra weight is part of the reason why he’s moved up from being a low-end top-150 recruit all the way up to breaking the top 100.
A big senior season will only serve to help matters. He’s a borderline 5-star who has wowed at every national camp he’s attended. His performance at The Opening this summer played a big part in his moving up some boards.
As it stands, he’s now a Michigan man and can shift his focus to continuing to get better as he makes the leap to the next level.