It's all smiles and laughter from Michael Thomas. Until he's hitting people, that is. Thomas's overpoweringly cheerful disposition makes you wonder how he gets into his role as free safety—a position that requires seek-and-destroy mode. But curious or not, it works for him, as well as for his teammates.
Thomas is the defensive captain, as picked by the players, on a squad with several people who could have filled the role. His off-the-field conviviality converts to irrepressible zeal when he's in action, and those around him more than appreciate it. They draw on it. If he's vocal because his job demands it, it also comes naturally.
"If everybody's hearing you, then everybody's clear," says Thomas, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior. "It's [about getting] lined up and being able to execute the game plan, or to execute that play. And definitely as a free safety, that's your job, so I take pride in that. I have another safety next to me, Delano Howell ['12]; he also takes pride in being vocal. But I definitely feel like [when I'm] talking, it gets my teammates going because they just play off of my enthusiasm, and it's natural for me. I'm not trying to fake it. I don't feel like, oh, that's something I have to do. That's just me."
It also requires being loud. "Exactly," Thomas agrees, his energy beginning to push up even his interview volume. "You can't be back there whispering, just talking to yourself. It's all about communication." And sometimes that communication extends to opponents, doesn't it? "Definitely, definitely," he admits between chuckles and grins. "I try to stay as clean as possible but, hey, sometimes when you're in the heat of battle, you might get to talking with the other team. But it's nothing too dirty. I'm not cheap. I just call it how I see it."
As a high school player in Houston, Thomas was a quarterback who piled up yards running the ball from that position. A rival quarterback known for his throwing was Andrew Luck, '12, now Thomas's teammate. In their junior- and senior-season match-ups as well-established QBs, Luck and his team prevailed both times. Does Luck ever let Thomas forget? Surprise: Luck tends to forgo any needling during football reminiscences.
The thing is, they also played varsity basketball against each other. "Senior year, it's the end of the game, we're about to win," Thomas recalls. "I'm coming down on a fast break, and I think I'm about to lay it up, and he comes and swats my ball to the second row. He always messes with me about that."
