Each week during the summer, Syracuse linebacker Jonathan Thomas went to the soccer fields on South Campus and kicked the ball around with SU soccer midfielders Juuso Pasanen and Julian Buescher.

It’s hard to find time during the fall season, with little free time between both teams’ games and practices. But for Thomas over the summer, playing soccer gave him a taste of the sport he grew up on.

“He only played two years of football (in high school),” SU head coach Scott Shafer said. “He was a very good athlete, a soccer player coming up. His ability to figure out this game at this level is something that I’ve been pleased with.”

His transition from soccer to football has been far from seamless, and he says he’s still learning the game. After a friend and football coach recruited him to play football after his sophomore year of high school, Thomas stuck with both sports during the same season at Collins Hill High School in Georgia. He didn’t want to completely give up a sport that he was second-team all state, and first team all-region in.

Now a contributor in his second season for Syracuse (3-6, 1-4 Atlantic Coast), Thomas has found more playing time with injured linebacker Parris Bennett sidelined. Against Florida State on Oct. 31, Thomas recorded a career-high seven tackles.

“It was tough last year because it was different, mentally and physically than in high school,” Thomas said. “Because in high school, I was almost bigger than everyone else. When you get here, freshman year, you’re the littlest kid.”

After football practice, he would go to soccer practice. After Friday night football games, he would make sure to get a good night sleep for the soccer game the day after. After switching from free safety, he was moved to linebacker and was able to dominate from the sheer size and strength advantage that he had over opponents.

Syracuse was Thomas’ first offer and he received it on Halloween of 2013. He committed during his official visit in January 2014, and was on the field playing for Syracuse later that year. He didn’t redshirt despite his lack of experience. In November, he forced his first fumble.

“He’s learning to be a linebacker, a football player actually,” defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough said. “As he keeps progressing from last year to this year, he made a huge jump in terms of playing football.”

Before the Florida State game, linebacker and team captain Zaire Franklin said Thomas was “just on” in whatever drill he did. He’s become more comfortable moving his body around. He started to use his hands more, something he would have avoided while playing soccer.

Thomas said during practice, he just likes to play. He does his thing, and tries to have fun. It’s when he looks at the film later, with linebackers coach Clark Lea — the man who recruited him — that he actually makes improvements to his game, which is perpetually a work in progress.

“There’s still a lot for me to improve on,” Thomas said. “Just being an overall better player.”

Published on November 12, 2015 at 10:05 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3