Thomas: Staying Near Home

When Klein (Texas) Collins three-star athlete Jordan Thomas left Norman, Okla. he was a Northwestern commitment, just as he had been for the roughly 400-days prior. However, after his flight landed and he arrived to his North Houston home and met with his parents - who drove home from Norman on Sunday morning - the run of days with the Wildcats had come to an end.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound defensive back said before leaving Oklahoma that he wanted to speak with his parents and take some time with his decision. In the end there was one factor that just couldn't be ignored.

"It was just a realization of how close to home it was, that was the most important thing," Thomas said of his decision. "I love my family and I love that they can see me play all my games, not just my immediate family, my distant cousins, and my aunts and uncles and what not."

However, it wasn't something he came to by himself. He got home and had the conversation with his parents about location as well as Oklahoma having his desired Petroleum Engineering program and said that while things were difficult, it was a talk that had to happen.

"Nothing is ever easy, with a decision like that it was a talk that I had to have," he explained.

After that realization he had two immediate calls to make, the first was to the Oklahoma coaching staff. And that didn't come off quite as smoothly as he had hoped.

"I called coach (Bob) Stoops and he did not answer, so I followed up by calling coach (Bobby Jack) Wright and then I called coach Stoops back," he said. "Everyone was excited."

The other call, was a far less exciting and anticipated one. However, the nation's No. 31 safety says it was important to him to make sure the coaching staff he'd long planned to be his coaching staff hear it from him rather than read it on the internet.

"I had to straight with them and call them. I didn't want to text them or e-mail them, they needed to hear it from me," he explained.

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