Upside 2025 Nimitz linebacker Javar Thomas on the Texas radar
Inside Texas attended the practice of Aldine Nimitz high school on Wednesday to take a close look at little known linebacker Javar Thomas. The Cougars are off to a 6-1 start behind second-year head coach Cornelius Harmon, who was previously at Summer Creek. Thomas, a junior linebacker, plays a big role for the rejuvenated program.
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Harmon’s defensive coordinator is former Texas Longhorns defensive back Ben Wells, a 2007 signee. After Wells mentioned Thomas reminded him of former Longhorns linebacker Keennan Robinson, a 4th round NFL draft pick, it was time to make the short trip to check Thomas out.
It turns out Texas linebackers coach Jeff Choate was on the Nimitz campus the week prior. According to Wells, Choate liked what he saw of the raw but explosive Thomas.
Other schools showing interest are TCU, who offered after Thomas attended the Horned Frogs game against BYU this past weekend, as well as the Houston Cougars. The TCU offer was Thomas’s first.
Next, Thomas will attend the Cougars game against the Longhorns this Saturday. That will be the second time he sees the Horns this year as he made the trip to Austin to watch Texas defeat Kansas on September 30th.
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What makes Thomas so intriguing? Per Wells, Thomas has traits you can’t teach, namely length and range that drew the initial comparisons to Robinson. But he also has striking ability that belies his 6-foot-3, 195 pounds. Said Wells, at the same age “Keenan was more football savvy, where as Javar may have a higher ceiling due to him still learning the game.”
While Javar does need to add weight and strength to own the point of attack, he is a vicious striker, especially when ranging from the back-side or in the open field. His pads certainly talk much louder than he does.
In talking to Thomas after practice, IT learned the next sport he’ll partake in is powerlifting. Given where his frame currently sits and where it can go, there isn’t a better possible use of his time next Spring. If he remains coachable on the football field while adding weight and strength then his natural ability and advantages give him an excellent chance to become a difference-maker on the next level.
On3 created a profile for Thomas in recent days and gave him a preliminary rating of 88. That’s a great starting point for someone with legitimate upside but still plenty of work ahead of him. It’ll be interesting to see what Thomas looks like a year from now, and then again every year after because his best football is well ahead of him.
