Michigan Wolverines Football Signee Bio: Inside Linebacker Charles Thomas

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Oakdale (Conn.) St. Thomas More three-star inside linebacker Charles Thomas is officially a Wolverine.

• Thomas played his final season at St. Thomas More and recorded 64 tackles, including 20 for loss and a sack, through the first five games. Stats for the final three games of the season were not available.

• As a junior at powerhouse Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, where Thomas did not start, he totaled 52 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and two interceptions.

• As a sophomore, at Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes, Thomas tallied 132 tackles, including 10 for loss, three sacks and an interception.

• As a freshman at Langston Hughes, Thomas recorded 102 tackles and five tackles for loss.

• Thomas was an honorable mention for the Atlanta Journal Constitution's All-State team for AAAAAAA, Georgia's second-largest classification, as a sophomore.

• Thomas was also a MaxPreps All-American as a sophomore.

• Was an honorable mention for the All-Region team for 3-AAAAAA, as voted by the league’s coaches after his freshman year.

• Thomas was pledge No. 1 for Michigan's 2019 class back on June 24, 2017.

• Then-linebackers coach and Georgia specialist Chris Partridge spearheaded Thomas' recruitment with defensive coordinator Don Brown playing a big role as well.

• Chose Michigan over Auburn, Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, among others.

• Older brother Deonte Wysinger played football at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Kansas.

• Thomas was born in California and moved to Georgia when he was six years old.

• Earned an invite to the Rivals Five-Star Underclassmen Challenge in Atlanta in 2016.

Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman: "Thomas is a very physical inside linebacker. He fits exactly what Devin Bush's role has been at Michigan. I expect him to see the field fairly early because he has that physical nature to him. His instincts really take over once he's on the field. It's all about how his reaction time once he's playing at a place like Michigan. He definitely has the straight-line speed and plays well between the hashes, but can he read and react fast enough to be a difference-maker is really the big question with him."

IMG Academy linebackers coach Keith Goganious: "Charles is probably our most instinctive linebacker. The thing that we worked on with him, because we make a lot of checks based on formations and all that, is getting his football IQ to match his athletic ability. He works really hard on that. When he hits it, he really hits it."

It's hard to determine exactly how things will play out for Thomas. He was insanely productive as a freshman and sophomore in high school but tapered off a bit at two different high schools during his final two years of prep football.

There's no doubt that he has the aggression, speed and instincts to play at a high level, but how will he adjust to another big leap in competition and a fourth brand new environment in five years? He looks like he could be Devin Bush 2.0 because of his build (6-0, 216) and speed, but it will all have to click in order for him to reach levels anywhere near Bush's. He probably won't have to play as a freshman but if the switch flips, he could at least see the field on special teams.

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