2015 Miami Football Recruiting: RB/CB Maurice Thomas Commits to RedHawks

On occasion, the lone high school in Oxford, Ohio sends someone to play football for Miami. Usually those Talawanda products are preferred walk-ons given a shot by the coaches simply because they're generally familiar with the Braves' program. But every now and then, a Talawanda product -- someone who's flown under the radar because the Braves don't have a track record of producing Division I talent -- finds himself coming to Miami on a full scholarship.

This is one of those times.

On Monday, Miami received a verbal commitment from Talawanda RB/CB Maurice Thomas, who's entering his senior season this fall. His pledge was first announced by Dave Berk of Scout, who also reported that Maurice's twin brother, McKenzie, will walk on as a safety in 2015. Thomas chose Miami over offers from Bowling Green and Kent State.

The 5-foot-11, 172-pound Thomas may have largely escaped Division I notice, but he's got some measurables: 4.5 electronically timed 40, 4.2 shuttle run, 10-foot-3 standing broad jump, 40.7-inch vertical.

And he's excited to be putting his talent to use for the RedHawks, where he likely projects as a cornerback. Both his parents are Miami graduates, and he grew up hearing stories about the glory days of Redskins football (plus living through the Roethlisberger years as a kid in Oxford).

So put another feather in Chuck Martin's cap: he's found another young man of considerable talent who's willing to work his tail off to rebuild Miami football.

If you want to see Thomas do his thing, here are some highlights from last season, courtesy of Hudl: