Solomon Thomas reaffirms his commit to FSU after his official visit
Florida State secured the commitment of the No. 1 offensive guard in the country for the class of 2025, Solomon Thomas, last December. This weekend Thomas was back in Tallahassee for his official visit with the Seminoles.
Thomas spoke with the Osceola after his visit concluded and he was asked a number of questions, including what stood out about his weekend and Tallahassee and about the status of his commitment to Florida State.
The Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines High product was impressed with the other talented prospects who were also taking official visits with FSU this weekend. That list included QB Tramell Jones, DE Javion Hilson, OT Josh Petty, OT Ty Haywood, OG Peyton Joseph and RB Byron Louis, among others, and that made an impression on Thomas.
"It was good," began Thomas when asked about his official visit to Florida State this weekend. "I'm excited for the guys that are going to come in. The group of guys that we had in this last OV was very special. We clicked and meshed very well. I can see myself playing with those guys at the next level."
Live updates, video interviews as official visitors depart FSU
After taking official visits to LSU and Florida earlier this summer, Thomas said that what he wanted most from his visit with Florida State was clarity.
"Clarity," answered Thomas when asked what he was looking for from FSU this weekend. "Of course, I have visited other places, but I mean just coming back home and really understanding or being reminded why I chose this place in the first place."
When asked for what specifically clarity meant, Thomas would not go in detail but seemed satisfied with what he learned.
"I think so," answered Solomon when asked if he found the clarity he was looking for.
With his official visits now behind him, Thomas spoke about the next step in his recruiting process.
"Nothing, there is nothing left to see, I am a Nole, I am a Nole," said Thomas of his recruitment.
He was also asked what message he had for the other prospects on FSU's campus this weekend. And one of those things was that his decision was not based on an NIL deal.
"I am going to tell them what's real, good and bad, this is Tallahassee, the best of both worlds, work and play," said Thomas. "It's a college town. You're going to get pushed every day, nothing easy is going to come out of this but at the end of it we're going to come out a lot stronger. I just told them my story and they asked me questions like, 'Why'd you commit?' I'll tell them why I committed in a heartbeat, because I mean it's 100 percent real. It's not, 'Oh, I am getting paid a certain amount of money.' Because I can go somewhere else and make way more money than you know what they give me but it's not about that.
"It's about the coaching and it's about the culture that, it's about the grind that these guys have been through. They went from being nothing to Coach Atkins being sought out as being a head coach. I'm going tell them everything that's real, it's not a sales pitch."
Thomas also expounded on being developed as an offensive lineman at FSU.
"One hundred percent," answered Thomas when asked if he thought FSU was the best place to be developed on the field. "Coach Atkins and Coach Norvell at the offensive line position don't have the biggest names that are being drafted, well, coming out of high school they weren't the biggest names. But through the development of the Florida State football team, they're being given opportunities that they never would have imagined being able to have.
"Back when Florida State had the worst offensive line in the country by far to being a true candidate for the Joe Moore Award and that happened in what three years. And that takes guys like me, it takes guys like Ty Haywood, Peyton (Joseph), Josh Petty, it takes guys like those. If know what he did with those guys and what their status was outside, I mean coming out of high school, just, it's crazy, I can only imagine what he can do with us."
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