PREPS

Dandy Dozen: Omari Thomas is more than just a lineman. He's a four-sport athlete.

Khari Thompson
Memphis Commercial Appeal

In an era when an increasing number of kids pick one sport and specialize in it, Briarcrest Christian's Omari Thomas is a rare four-sport athlete.

He's best known for his football ability, where he is one of the top college football prospects in the country for the Class of 2020. But he also plays basketball, throws the shot put and even plays tennis for the Saints.

On the football field, he's a four-star lineman who was a Division II-AAA Mr. Football finalist last season. He primarily plays left tackle and defensive end, but he is being recruited mostly as a defensive lineman. He had more than 60 tackles last season with seven sacks and two fumble recoveries, including one that he ran back for a touchdown. 

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound senior is ranked No. 4 in Tennessee for the Class of 2020 in the 247Sports Composite. He is the No. 9 defensive tackle in the country and No. 97 overall.

He is also No. 2 on The Commercial Appeal's inaugural 2019 Dandy Dozen, a collection of the top 12 college football prospects for the Class of 2020 from the Mid-South as picked by the newspaper.

"Everybody wants to have ‘that guy,' Briarcrest coach Brian Stewart said. "I’ve been at smaller schools where I didn’t have a bigger guy. I've been here at Briarcrest where we didn’t have a big O-line at times and you’ve got misdirection and smoke and mirrors and counters. But it sure is nice when you can say, ‘Let's just run right there.'’ I like the fact that I’ve got a guy that I can line up and say, ‘I need 2 yards. Come on.' "

Thomas has committed to play in the U.S. Army All-American bowl, where he will announce his college commitment live on NBC on Jan. 4. He has narrowed his choices to his final six schools — Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn, Arkansas and Texas A&M. 

"It is going to be tough, but even if I felt like I was ready to commit, I wouldn’t say anything,"  Thomas said.

Stewart said that he's proud of Thomas' leadership and that Thomas has a magnetic personality that draws people to him. 

Omari Thomas of Briarcrest Christian

"When you’re larger than life as he is, and then you add his wit and charm, he’s just electric," Stewart said. "He has it. He has a sense of humor. He’s got a great smile. He’s just fun to be around. He’s a magnet. People are drawn to him.

"And then at the same time he treats people right and he has leadership abilities. If something is going on he just takes care of it. He can walk up to somebody and say, ‘Hey man, we’re not going to do that,’ and when he does things like that, he helps out our locker room and other people around him.”

More than a football player

Briarcrest Christian's Omari Thomas (0) looks to shoot against Brentwood Academy in the Division II-AA state finals in March.

In basketball, Thomas was a TSSAA Division II-AA all-tournament team selection who helped Briarcrest Christian dethrone four-time defending state champion Brentwood Academy by scoring 14 points and going 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the DII-AA state title game.   

"I love basketball. If I wasn’t playing football all the time, I’d be in the gym shooting," Thomas said.

He threw the shot put for the track team and even played varsity tennis this past spring after seeing fellow lineman Rodney Newsome show up to school with a bag of tennis rackets.

"I was like, 'You playing tennis for real?' And he was like, 'Yes. I got these rackets from my mom.' And I was like, 'OK,' " Thomas said. "So I’m out there after school after practice and I went over to the coach and I was like, 'Do you think I can join?' "