"Every since I was a little kid I always looked up to football players. I just wanted to play every year and possibly go to college and then on to the NFL." Football means everything to Thomas, when I asked the question "What does football mean to you?" a millisecond did not past before he immediately responded. "Football to me is.like basically it's everything. I learned everything from it how to be a man to brotherhood." As a kid, Thomas looked up to Adrian Peterson and Patrick Willis. .
My number is called for my food and my train of thought is immediately interrupted. I receive a brown paper bag covered in grease stains. Instead this monstrous bag contains greasy, processed slices of heaven. I sit down and can tell that Thomas is eager to answer more questions. My food will have to wait. We start back up again.
In the 8th grade. Thomas transferred to John Curtis Christian High School located in River Ridge, LA. John Curtis is a football powerhouse turning out more college and pro athletes than any football program in the state of Louisiana. Thomas's freshman and sophomore year JC football lost the state championship. Curtis is unlike any other football program Thomas explains to me. "It is 10 hours a week devoted to nothing but football." This is uncommon for a high school level football team. Thomas and the JC football team won back-to-back state championships his junior and senior years. During their senior year season the football team won the national championship. Throughout his illustrious high school football career he has had his best friend and teammate Duke Riley. "[Duke is] another linebacker, I've known him since 5th grade- we have chemistry on the field he's more of a brother. Every time we go out it's a brother thing. ", He explains. Riley is highly ranked in the state and has committed to LSU. I ask if he would have preferred to be recruited by LSU, he ponders and then replies, "No, [due] to the fact there's too many number 1'stoo many people.