Caught up with Crenshaw’s DeAnthony Thomas briefly after UCLA’s scrimmage on Sunday afternoon. He fought traffic to make it to the end of the practice but had extended time with Rick Neuheisel afterrward.
Thomas would still be a long-shot to pick UCLA, but his interest is noteworthy just based on the number of kids who have said they’d love to play in college with him. Could he be the Pied Piper to UCLA? Who knows. But if they can pull it off, it could be a game-changer.

Here’s his Scout.com profile: Thomas

Jon Gold: What’d you think of UCLA today?DeAnthony Thomas: “I’ve been here at UCLA since the ninth grade, and I’ve been loving it since BP and Reggie and Chiny and Raymond Carter were here. I’ve been up here and experienced a lot of things, and I’ve loved it so far. Now I’m getting back to coming up here.”

JG: Where does the Mamba name come from? Is that a Kobe thing?DT: “Nah, I’m the original Mamba. I got the name from the Snoop League. Snoop gave me the name. Guess it fits me so far.”

JG: What are you trying to prove during your recruitment?DT: “Man, I’m just out here trying to break the cycle. Lot of people don’t think guys can make it from the city. I’m trying to prove them wrong.”

JG: You were recently switched to Scout.com’s No. 1 cornerback; what do you want to play in college?DT: “Whatever a team needs me, that’s where I’ll play. It doesn’t matter to me.”

JG: How long has it been since you’ve been to UCLA? Anything changed?DT: “I haven’t been here in a long time, but I wanted to keep the tradition going and make Crenshaw, my community and my family happy. Yeah, there have been changes. They had a good recruiting class; last year they recruited alright, but this year, the class was great, and hopefully they’ll do something this year during the season.”