Linebacker Matthew Thomas, the No. 2 overall high school OLB according to Rivals.com, has asked Florida State for a release from his scholarship, according to the Miami Herald. Thomas is a five-star prospect and the No.15 nationally ranked player by the recruiting website.
"I've told them it's nothing personal," Thomas said, according to the Miami Herald. "I just didn't make the decision I really wanted to on Signing Day."
Thomas is 6'3, 205 lb. linebacker from Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, Fla. According to the Herald, Thomas informed coach Jimbo Fisher and defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt late last month that he is not planning on reporting to school in the fall and that he hopes the school will allow him to play elsewhere. However, the linebacker said FSU's coaches do not want to release him and told him they plan to visit him in South Florida to try and talk things over.
"What happened was on Signing Day [was] I wasn't sure who I wanted to sign with. I had issues with different schools. But when I told my mom I didn't want to sign with anybody and wait and give it a few days she said I couldn't do that. She said, 'FSU is a good school - pick them. It's close to home.' I wasn't agreeing with it. But I felt like I was being disrespectful to her if I didn't sign. So I made her happy."
Thomas said the pressure of having already committed live on ESPN made things tougher. He said he spent the last few months trying to convince himself Florida State was the right choice, but it just hasn't felt right.
Thomas chose the Seminoles over USC, Georgia and Miami in February. However, it seems as though he feels the other three schools would be a much better fit for him than FSU.
"I've been in Miami all my life," he said, according to the paper. "Georgia needs linebackers. It's a big program. I have family in Georgia. USC, growing up I never thought I would have an opportunity that big. I just want to go have fun and play football."
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