My 'Tuesdays with Barry and John' radio segment has started. Normally, it'll be around 9:30 a.m. CST. Today, it's around 8:40 a.m., to the best of my knowledge. Unless the studio host calls me at 7:30 a.m. CST. Whenever it is, I'll begin my morning talking Troy football and you can listen. Look to the right side of this page and the links are there.
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Today's story is on receiver Eric Thomas, Troy's top offensive playmaker last season. You can read it in the Tuesday print edition of the Dothan Eagle or on dothaneagle.com HERE. Thomas had 67 catches last year and most everyone knew he was the go-to guy. I'm not sure if he'll reach that number this year with more established receivers, but in a go-to situation, he'll be the guy. His one-handed catch at Western Kentucky last year on about a 40-yard fade was one of the best I've seen.
BY DREW CHAMPLIN | dchamplin@dothaneagle.com
TROY – Troy wide receiver Eric Thomas admitted earlier this month that he had struggled with the initial transition from one side of the field to the other.
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| Eric Thomas |
Outside receivers coach Shayne Wasden moved Thomas from X-receiver to Z-receiver in order to get him and senior Chip Reeves, Troy’s most experienced receivers, on the field at the same time.
But the junior's skill set should be able to help him overcome any challenges.
Coaches and teammates point to Thomas’ large hands and fearless ability to go after the ball in the air as the reason he hauled in 67 passes for 875 yards and a Troy FBS single-season record nine touchdowns as a sophomore last year. All three marks led Troy receivers.
“He’s got some of the best ball skills I’ve ever seen,” Troy quarterback Corey Robinson said. “He really goes after the football and attacks the football when it’s in the air. He doesn’t worry about getting hit. He grabs it at its highest point and has some of the best hands I’ve ever seen.”
Thomas said he’s working harder to build off last season’s numbers and hopes to get 1,000-plus yards this season. He was named a second-team all-conference member last year, and was voted onto the Sun Belt’s preseason all-conference team earlier this summer.
“I’ve been doing the little things right, working hard in the weight room, trying to get stronger and faster and trying to work harder on my route-running,” Thomas said.
But on Aug. 11 at the team’s media day, Thomas said he had some troubles with the Z-receiver. He found out he’d be moving over there just two weeks prior after Jamel Johnson, the projected starter at the Z, was declared academically ineligible.
Thomas said the biggest struggle has been the different routes between Z and X.
“It’s been real hard for me,” Thomas said. “A lot of the times, I’ve been frustrated, but whatever the team needs me to do, I’ve got to do it.”
Thomas is no stranger to changing positions. He was a big-time recruit as a senior at national powerhouse Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, La., catching 105 passes for 1,553 yards and 28 touchdowns. Grade issues scared off some schools, but SEC powers LSU and Arkansas were on Thomas.
He was cleared a month or so after National Signing Day in 2010, but the bigger schools didn’t have room. Troy did and Thomas had a role as a freshman, catching nine passes for 120 yards while playing the inside receiver (X and H) positions.
From there, he showed his playmaking abilities.
“The first thing about Eric is that he has great hands,” offensive coordinator Kenny Edenfield said. “He showed that from his first year here. He has long arms. If he can get his eyes and mitts on it, he usually comes down with it.”
Thomas said he felt like last year’s totals were good, the potential is much greater. At 6-foot-1 and 209 pounds, Thomas said he lost weight but has added muscle while working out with quarterback Deon Anthony in the offseason.
“I don’t think I really established myself,” Thomas said. “I think I can do more. I dropped a few balls last year that, looking back at it, I could have scored more.
“If I see the ball in the air, I always think it’s mine. I just go up and get it.”
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