Top linebacker recruit Matthew Thomas planning visits to Georgia, Alabama, Florida State, Miami

Fresh off winning a state title with his Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington teammates, elite linebacker Matthew Thomas is turning his focus to recruiting.

And like many South Florida recruits, Thomas continues to buck the trend of committing early. He still has official visits to take, likely to Miami, Alabama, Georgia and Florida State. Though he has claimed that Miami or Florida State lead in the past, he declined to name any school as his current leader. He did, however, talk about the schools under consideration.

Thomas said that he has family and Georgia, and that his mom is impressed with the staff at UGA. He is excited about checking out Athens. He likes Georgia's defense.

"I like the defense, cause you get to stand up and rush the passer off the edge. With me, they'd be using me as a hybrid type of linebacker. They'll always be someone in front of me, so I'll be playing in space," Thomas said.

He has already checked out Florida State a few times, and was paid a visit recently by Florida State's James Coley, with whom he has a great relationship. Thomas says he is unconcerned about the departure of Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops, who accepted the head coaching position at Kentucky.

Miami will always hold a special connection for Thomas. He was asked about the coming sanctions for the Hurricanes, and said that Miami's coaches are dealing with it as best they can.

"They said they're trying to take care of it now, so the future will be better. They're going to move forward, and with all the young players they've got, they'll be a good football team," he said.

Thomas said that he and teammate Denver Kirkland, a talented offensive linemen, talk about playing together a lot and will likely end up at the same school.

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