Tawfiq Thomas talks about KU visit, will trim list soon

Tawfiq Thomas has done several calls with Kwahn Drake and toured the facilities virtually. Over the weekend the defensive lineman from Florida got a chance to see everything Kansas has to offer in person.

Thomas took his first official visit of the season to Lawrence and spent time with Drake and Andrew Carter. Both coaches have communicated with his over the last several months.

“It was great being around Coach Drake and Coach AC,” Thomas said. “They are great coaches and my family liked them a lot.”

He wanted to see what kind of facilities Kansas had during the visit and had the chance to visit with defensive coordinator Brian Borland.

“Their indoor practice field was really cool, and the weight room was great,” he said. “I learned what type of defense they run, their stunt games for the d-line and where I fit in.”

Thomas met with Lance Leipold during the visit. Although Leipold was recently hired as the Jayhawks head coach Thomas knew him from his time at Buffalo.

“Me and coach Leipold already knew each other when he offered me when he was at Buffalo,” Thomas said. “So, we already had a bond but when we were talking, I really see that he was passionate about the team and really wants to turn things around for Kansas.”

The weight room was something that Thomas noticed on the visit and so was his conversation with Matt Gildersleeve, who will oversee the strength and conditioning program.

“I wasn't expecting the weight room to be that good,” Thomas said. “They even had a machine that tells you how sore you are, and which part of your body is hurting by just standing in it and jumping.

“The new strength coach was super cool. He showed us so many things that I didn't know, and he said we gotta be ready to work if you want to play for him.”

Thomas was hosted by defensive lineman Jelani Arnold. He got a good vibe from Arnold and the other Kansas players he met on the visit.

“Jelani was my host and I think he was the best host I could have had,” Thomas said. “He was great and we had so much fun together with some more teammates and we just vibed together hard.”

Next up for Thomas is an official visit to Iowa State. He wants to take in more information from his visits and start narrowing down his list of schools. After he visits Iowa State, the plan is to announce the leaders in his recruiting.

“My next visit is Iowa State and that's an exciting one,” he said. “But I want to make my decision the beginning of my senior year and I'm dropping my top schools in a week or two.”