4-star freshman Thomas happy FSU, Norvell never gave up on him
Azareye'h Thomas admits he was surprised Florida State didn't go away.
That even when he told Mike Norvell he wasn't all that interested in the Seminoles, that he was going elsewhere, the FSU head coach stayed persistent throughout the recruiting process.
And that persistence paid off when the four-star Thomas signed with the Seminoles in December.
"Most of the times, when athletes drop their top-schools (list) and they don't include a school in it, that school stops pursuing them," said Thomas, who played both defensive back and wide receiver in high school. "The commitment they showed me really stood out to me."
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Even after Thomas showed little interest in the Seminoles, they made sure to keep showing plenty of interest in him. They called him and texted him consistently throughout the process.
They kept letting him know how valuable they thought he was and how impactful he could be for the Florida State program.
"They let me know that they still want me and basically they weren't going to go away," Thomas said. "And towards the end of my process of me making my decision, Coach Norvell had come up and he almost brought the whole staff. And it's kind of different when somebody tells you they want you, but it's a whole different subject when they actually show you. ... It impressed me and made a lasting impact on me."
The truth of the matter is that Thomas also became more interested in Florida State when the schools that were at the top of his list -- LSU, Florida and Oklahoma -- started losing their head coaches.
That created an air of uncertainty in those programs.
Meanwhile, Norvell and his staff had been there from the start. Letting him know how much he meant to their program.
And now he's a part of it.
Thomas was rated the No. 68 recruit in the country, according to Rivals. The Niceville native is listed as an "athlete" on that list, and he's listed as a defensive back on the updated Florida State roster.
But he was so dynamic as a receiver in high school that there might be a chance the 6-foot-2, 180-pound freshman gets a look on that side of the ball as well at some point in his career.
He caught 33 passes for 438 yards and scored a total of 17 touchdowns his senior year in high school.
"Right now, I'll play wherever they want me," Thomas said. "This is my freshman year, so I'm really just trying to make my identity for the first year. Not really trying to rush into things. So, the offensive side, I don't know. Really just playing where the coaches see me and feel like I fit best."
Either way, he feels confident he made the right decision.
When Thomas met with the media on Tuesday, he talked about his bond with fellow freshman Sam McCall, how much he's learning from the other FSU defensive backs, and what the adjustment to college life has been like.
But he also kept coming back to that in-home visit a few months ago, when Norvell and practically the entire coaching staff came to Niceville to talk to him.
He knew, at that point, he was interested in Florida State. But he still wasn't sure he was going to join Norvell's program.
Then he was in the room with the head coach and heard him talk.
And a few days later, he was sending in his National Letter of Intent to Tallahassee.
"Coach Norvell was really the one that was talking," Thomas said. "And just seeing the passion in his eyes. You can tell when somebody is just selling you dreams and stuff like that. But Coach Norvell, you could see the passion and the love for the game that he has. For the game and for his players.
"So, really just being in that atmosphere with him, you could feel the energy. And it was contagious."
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