De’Anthony Thomas, the top athlete in the class of 2011, will reportedly spurn the USC Trojans, who he committed to almost a year ago, to sign with the Oregon Ducks on Wednesday. Thomas will announce his decision to the world at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Crenshaw High School. Up until just two days ago, it was all but assumed that Thomas was firmly in the USC camp, but a trip to Oregon over the weekend apparently changed all that.
ESPN recruiting analyst Greg Biggins came through with the latest on his blog, telling readers to expect Thomas to sign with the Ducks on Wednesday.
The update as of 3 p.m. PT is that Thomas will sign with Oregon. USC coaches are still fighting the fight but Thomas has told both staffs what he plans to do and right now, it appears the Ducks will pull off one of the biggest recruiting shockers in the last few years.
Biggins is right: This is one of the biggest recruiting coups in recent memory, if not longer. Thomas is a game-breaking athlete, able to play every skill position on the field. The Ducks came out of nowhere, with zero indication they had ever been in on Thomas before the weekend visit.
Of course, we won’t know officially until Thomas announces Wednesday evening, but this would be huge news for the Ducks. Adding Thomas to an already stacked recruiting class would likely vault Oregon well into the top-five on signing day, ahead of the rest of the Pac-10.
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