Texas OLB Curlee Thomas Makes it 6 For Cal

6-4/245 Nolan Catholic (Ft. Worth, Texas) High School defensive end Curlee Thomas‍ had a busy junior year, piling up 43 offers from programs eager to add his dynamic presence on the defensive side of the ball. But after the dust settled, it was the Bears who came out on top with the high 3 star’s commitment to Cal two weeks after his official visit to Berkeley.

“Going on my official visit, the Cal staff and support people all seem like really good people,” said Thomas today after his commitment. “They really seem like they care about the game of football and for the players, as well.

“I also like the culture at Cal and the community there is really nice. I really enjoyed my time when I was there.

“I feel like I vibed with the players well there, too, And my host Cam (Goode) seemed like a really good person.”

“Curlee’s a very interesting and dynamic kid,” said Nolan Catholic DL coach KJ Williams. “He’s an intellectual kid and academics are really important to him. He’s an awesome person. We spend a lot of time outside of football talking about his interest in engineering and computer science.

“As a player, he’s a monster. He’s very dynamic. He plays at one speed, one mindset. A very passionate player. He’s very self-motivated and tenacious.”

“What you see on the field is what you get with Curlee,” said Nolan Catholic head coach David Beaudin. “It’s that way every day in practice and every game. He’s got one gear and it’s full-go all the time. It’s fun to coach guys like that, where if you have to do anything, it’s throttle back.

“He’s a serious student, very respectible, very coachable. It’s been a pleasure to coach him.”

Thomas put together an impressive abbreviated nine game junior season. The 1st Team All-State DE led the state with 16 sacks, also adding 58 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 30 QB hurries, two fumble recoveries and one safety in 2020.

How did Thomas become involved with the Cal program?

“A few months back on Twitter, I just got in contact with (DL) Coach (Andrew) Browing and we got to know each other and I gave hime a call and established a good relationship,” said Thomas earlier.

“Coach Browning is probably one of the most upbeat coaches that I’m talking to. He sounds like he’d love to have me at the unversity. He’s a pretty cool dude.”

The Bears beat out UCLA, Texas Tech, Penn State, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Louisville, Michigan State and more for Thomas’s services. Thomas joins prior commits Nunie Tuitele‍, Jaxson Moi‍ and Nate Burrell‍ who visited earlier this month and early commits Justyn Martin‍ and Damonic Williams‍, who are visiting this weekend.

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