Inside The Chart: Leaving An Impression

By Andy Demetra (The Voice of the Yellow Jackets) | Inside The Chart

Leaving An Impression:  Charlie Thomas’ fierce hits have put the ACC on notice.  You can thank his versatility for that.  But ask around, and the reasons for the linebacker’s production go much deeper.

If there was any concern that Charlie Thomas would rest on his laurels following his ACC Co-Linebacker of the Week performance against North Carolina, the junior put that notion to rest before Georgia Tech even started stretching Monday.

The pre-practice stretch can be a breezy, banter-filled affair – important, yes, but not always a picture of intensity. But Thomas didn’t want any complacency creeping in after the Yellow Jackets’ 45-22 rout of the No. 21 Tar Heels at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“Sometimes Coach Collins feels like he has to put urgency in people,” he explained.

“You just read body language and interpret it. I just didn’t want him to come up that day.”

So Thomas – not normally known as the most verbose member of the team – snatched the microphone that strength and conditioning coach Lew Caralla uses to guide Tech’s players through their stretches. He then launched into an impromptu hype-up session for his teammates, his words slicing through the music that played over Bobby Dodd Stadium’s loudspeakers.

“I wanted that day to be a great day, so I decided to put my urgency onto the team. Make everybody know it’s a work day,” Thomas said.

Head coach Geoff Collins watched the scene unfold – and loved every minute of it.

“A year ago, two years ago, that wouldn’t have been. That wouldn’t have happened,” Collins said.

It was another snapshot in the continuing maturation of the 6-2, 207-pound Thomas, who hasn’t just seized mics but a commanding role in the Georgia Tech defense. He demonstrated it again last Saturday when he became a one-man black hole against UNC, finishing with eight tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.  The week before, he recorded a career-high 12 tackles in a near-upset of No. 6 Clemson.  Against Kennesaw State he grabbed a pair of second-half interceptions, becoming the first Tech linebacker since at least 2000 with two interceptions in a game. Earlier this week, the website Pro Football Focus named Thomas its top-graded linebacker in the nation through four weeks.

Along the way, Thomas has continued to burnish his reputation as one of the ACC’s most predatory, lay-down-and-stay-down hitters. Even his teammates have trouble coming up with a proper comparison for him.

“He doesn’t hit. He almost strikes. He’s like a viper,” said linebacker Quez Jackson.

“He’s kind of like a ram,” defensive end Jordan Domineck observed.

Linebacker Ayinde Eley flipped through his mental thesaurus for several seconds trying to find the right description. Eventually the redshirt junior gave up.

“Charlie definitely delivers blows. In the game, I see it sometimes and I’ll be like, ‘Dang… Charlie got him,’” he said.

Those hits have been magnified as Georgia Tech switches to more three-linebacker sets, something it used heavily against Clemson. Along with the 4-2-5 packages they’ve run for the past two seasons, the Jackets suddenly have a greater ability to mix up their looks.

That, in turn, has made Thomas’ versatility even more valuable.

“He is such a good football player in space,” said Collins, who sounded like he was reading off a Waffle House menu when he ticked off all the roles Thomas played against North Carolina.

“He was out there in nickel overhang. He’s in coverage on [slot receiver] Josh Downs, sometimes even by himself. Then he’s blitzing. Then we move him to defensive end. Then he plays ‘Willy’ backer. He just does so much for us,” he explained.

“It takes stress off of everybody knowing he’s as consistent as he is. All you’ve got to do is your job because you know Charlie is going to be very reliable,” said Jackson.

Versatility has long been a hallmark of Thomas’ game. Since taking up football at age six, he dabbled in many different positions before entering Thomasville High School. Thomas played cornerback as a freshman before switching to safety. He lined up at wide receiver and running back as a junior and senior, where he led the Bulldogs to their first undefeated regular season in 29 years.

At Tech, Thomas has toggled between safety, nickel and linebacker. He even lined up at defensive end for the last two games of 2020 when the Yellow Jackets had several pass rushers unavailable. He posted solid numbers in his first three seasons – his 16.5 career tackles for loss led all returning Jackets – though his stats were blunted somewhat by his nomadic nature. Still, Thomas appreciates that versatility is part of his identity.

“I’ve pushed myself to explore new limits and try to do different things. Linebacker was one of those things. At first I didn’t like it, but then I just got used to it, and now I love it,” he said.

But versatility alone doesn’t explain Thomas’ rise in production this year. In the preseason, Collins repeatedly praised him for his maturity and “the man he has become.” According to those around him, Thomas has become more dedicated to the “process,” that fabled, all-encompassing term to describe a player’s commitment to be great.

It has manifested itself in a variety of ways. Thomas says he takes his recovery more seriously, from living in the cold tub to foam rolling while he’s at home in his apartment. He has become more devoted to film study, taking his preparation beyond the Yellow Jackets’ football facility. Always an instinctive player, he says those habits have allowed him to anticipate plays better.

“After I finish my schoolwork, I try to watch at least half of a game a night, so I can pick up on tendencies and play calls and stuff. That’s pretty much the routine,” he said.

His commandeering of Caralla’s microphone was a one-off moment, meant to perk up his teammates before a morning practice, but it also signified what Thomas has strived to become around the Georgia Tech program. He described it simply: “Coming to practice with the right mindset, encouraging your teammates, being a better leader on and off the field.”

His teammates, especially those who have been with him for years, have taken notice.

Charlie Thomas’ eight-tackle, 2.5-sack, 4.5-TFL performance against North Carolina was only the fourth by an NCAA Division I FBS player this season and only the 11th by an ACC player since 2000.

“I think Charlie has done a better job of taking a leadership role and actually being more vocal,” Jackson said. “Of course everybody knows he’s a good football player, but he started to open up to his teammates more and started being more of a leader.”

Thomas has no more enthusiastic a believer than his head coach.

“It’s why you do this,” Collins said of his growth.

“His development as a young man in our program over the last two-and-a-half years is special. It is noticeable. Everybody that is associated with the program, you can see it. You can feel it,” he added.

In fact, when talking about his junior this week, Collins didn’t even mention one of Thomas’ highlights from Saturday night against North Carolina. He instead shared a highlight from Monday night, when he received a picture from assistant athletic director for student-athlete development Leah Thomas at Georgia Tech’s Total Person Program career fair at McCamish Pavilion.

“She sends me a picture of Charlie Thomas at McCamish networking with different people. I sent him a text last night [telling him] how proud I am of him. He’s a great player. But who he is as a person is so special. And those things, they don’t have to be mutually exclusive. He’s learning that,” Collins said.

Thomas will look for that growth to continue dovetailing with Georgia Tech’s rise up the ACC Coastal Division, which it looks to continue Saturday with a matchup against 3-1 Pittsburgh at Bobby Dodd Stadium (Noon ET, Georgia Tech Sports Network from Legends Sports).

Wherever he lines up, Thomas will try to deliver more jarring hits like the kind that earned him ACC Linebacker of the Week.

He likely won’t need a microphone to announce his presence.