After consecutive days with three transfer commitments, BBN was starting to get the itch Saturday afternoon. Enter Kevis Thomas, a cornerback who spent the first two seasons of his career at Maryland. Thomas was previously a Kentucky target out of high school and the staff used that relationship to land the former Big Ten corner.
Player Background
Thomas was a three-star and top 600 recruit in the country out of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia. The South Georgia native moved to Big Ten country to play in College Park. Thomas found early action with the Terrapins as he received eighty snaps over six games. Thomas allowed zero receptions on only four targets through fifty-two coverage snaps as a true freshman. Thomas started 2024 on the injured list and did not come back the same player he was as a freshman. He recorded 21 tackles and 2 deflections in 289 snaps this past season. The coverage numbers were okay, 54.8% completion percentage allowed for 11.4 yards per reception, but he only allowed three receptions of over fifteen yards with a long of twenty-eight yards. Thomas was targeted a lot returning from injury, but he kept the ball in front of him and didn’t allow big plays.
Program Fit
Brad White often gets criticized for playing soft zones and allowing receivers to make short plays. White was more aggressive this season, and it didn’t produce the results many were hoping for. We saw through the Kentucky offense how difficult it is to score points when you can’t be explosive, and this is a strategy White has relied on to produce multiple top-five defenses in the SEC. Thomas is still young, a true junior with two years of eligibility left, but he has proven valuable in stopping the big play. Maryland defensive coordinator Brian Williams is known for developing secondary players as he has produced seven All-B1G defensive backs in the last three years including 2023 first round pick Deonte Banks. Kentucky is trusting their high school evaluation and hoping Thomas returns to his pre-injury form next season.
Position Outlook
Kentucky is likely losing Maxwell Hairston to the draft, but the rest of the Kentucky cornerback room is currently intact. JQ Hardaway, DJ Waller, Jantzen Dunn, Terhyon Nichols, Quay’sheed Scott, and Quavo Marshall fill out the rest of the position, a group that looks to make a big jump with a year of continuity. Thomas is a 5’11, 179-pound corner with experience against high level competition. Chris Collins will have another rotational defender that he can trust to keep receivers from creating explosives, something depth pieces haven’t always shown the ability to do here in Lexington.
