After a highly-touted recruiting process that included decomitting from Boise State in December, just days after winning the state championship, Phoenix’s Centennial High School running back Zidane Thomas has decided to go from Arizona to an Aztec by committing to San Diego State University.
Thomas, who led the Centennial Coyotes to the state final after his junior year, saw his value increase dramatically over his senior year, receiving offers and garnering interest from Arizona State, Boise State, Illinois, Iowa State, Louisville and Utah.
So with interest and offers from every time zone in the country, why did Thomas ultimately choose San Diego State University?
There was an Arizona connection…
Hunkie Cooper, a legendary player and champion with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League, pursued Thomas hard to convince the young man that being an Aztec was the only way to go.
It is a move that has the Aztecs alumni base very excited for the upcoming season and beyond.
“When we are winning recruiting battles like this it convinces me that we are on the national map to stay,” says Rachel Bowers, retired lawyer and alumnus of San Diego State University. “It is only February and the football team is already generating a buzz with alumni.”
The end of the season proved to be a whirlwind for Thomas, which may have led to his lengthy indecision that also generated even more interest from football teams from six different conferences.
Within two weeks in early December he was named a finalist for AZ Central Player of the Year, won a state championship with a 41-21 victory over Notre Dame Prep in Tucson and decommitted from Boise State, opening up his opportunities.
It has yet to be seen how much playing time Thomas will receive during the 2018 season, these decisions will begin to be made during spring practice in little over a month.
However, one date Thomas must already be circling on his calendar is the Sept. 15 game in San Diego versus his hometown Arizona State University Sun Devils.
By then Thomas will have already made the full transition from Arizona to an Aztec…
