Kansas prep legend Ky Thomas brings 'get vertical' skill to Gophers backfield by committee

Carlos Kelly and Tobias Thomas were teammates for an arena football team in Topeka, Kan., in the early 2000s, and Kelly remembers little Ky Thomas, Tobias' son, wanting the football in his hands at an early age.

"He was maybe 4 or 5 years old, and during practice he'd jump the wall and run on the field trying to get the ball,'' Kelly said. "… He wanted to be on that field so bad.''

Fast forward to 2021, and Ky Thomas isn't so little anymore. He's a 5-11, 205-pound redshirt freshman running back for the Gophers, and he's making an impact for a team that's using a backfield committee after losing its top two runners to injuries.

"He's always been a super-competitive kid,'' said Kelly, who coached Thomas in youth football and as a position coach at Topeka High School.

That competitive nature is working out well for the Gophers (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten). Entering Saturday's game at Northwestern (3-4, 1-3), Thomas ranks second among Minnesota's healthy running backs with 228 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries. He's coming off a career-best 139 yards on 21 carries in the Gophers' 34-16 victory over Maryland last week.

That production doesn't necessarily mean Thomas will carry the bulk of the load against the Wildcats. The backfield committee also includes redshirt junior Bryce Williams, who rushed for 127 yards the previous week against Nebraska, and true freshman Mar'Keise Irving, who carried 15 times for 105 yards against the Terrapins. All three visited the end zone last week.

Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. and running backs coach Kenni Burns have the duties of mixing and matching the trio, trying to find a blend that will keep the Gophers running game humming behind a veteran offensive line. It's worked to the tune of 326 rushing yards against Maryland and 182 vs. Nebraska.

"When we script our openers, we want to get all three guys involved in the opening 12 plays,'' Sanford said. "… We've been very intentional in getting all three runners involved early in the game. Then, it's a little bit of, you want to feed the hot hand, but you also want to keep the other guys involved.''

Each back has his own strengths, and the coaching staff tries to find the right situation for each.

"Bucky's obviously great in space, and we want to find ways to get him in space,'' Burns said, using Irving's nickname. "Then you've got Bryce, who's been in the system a long time and knows how to execute the system and be efficient. And Ky's a young back who's an old-school slasher. He's one cut, and get vertical, which really works well in our offense.''

A Kansas prep legend

Kelly saw Thomas' skills develop quickly during youth football, which he dominated.

"It was like no one tackled him, but you always wondered, 'Is he that good?' '' Kelly said. "I couldn't tell until he got to high school. Then you realize, he's the real deal.''

Thomas' breakthrough game happened his freshman year. With Topeka's starting quarterback injured, Thomas shifted to QB and rushed for more than 200 yards against state power Shawnee Heights. "He had 30-some carries as a 14-year-old,'' Kelly said. "He pretty much won the game himself.''

That productivity continued for three more prep seasons, and Thomas rushed for 7,703 yards and 95 TDs in his career. The rushing total ranks second in Kansas history and the touchdowns rank seventh. Recruiters, of course, came calling, and coach P.J. Fleck was able to sell him on the Gophers.

"He's very close to his family, so getting him away from Kansas was gonna be a challenge for us and we had to show why it would be beneficial for him,'' P.J. Fleck said. "He is an incredible competitor and loves the sport, loves the football in his hands.''

Gophers freshmen generally are not available for media interviews, but what helped sell Fleck and his staff on Thomas was his physical style.

"When you watch his high school tape, you see him what I call trigger on people and shoot his hips and run through facemasks,'' Burns said. "That really caught my attention, how violent a runner he is.''

Added Fleck: "A lot of his yards were after contact, even in high school. Playing in the Big Ten, you want backs that can take hits." Against Maryland, Thomas gained 66 yards after contact.

Transforming his body

Thomas spent the 2020 season as a redshirt and did not see any game action. In the offseason, he had surgery to repair a shoulder injury from his high school days and missed spring practice. How Thomas attacked his rehab impressed Sanford.

"He completely committed himself to changing his body,'' Sanford said. "… He scaled it back first and kind of got rid of that youthful baby fat, if you will, and was lean and explosive. Then he started building muscle on it.''

That strength and speed has helped Thomas become a solid blocker in the backfield, too, and Sanford has raved about his blitz pickups.

Burns sees a bright future for Thomas, be it in a committee or as a feature back.

"One of the big things is breaking tackles, and Ky does that consistently,'' Burns said. "… He's just getting started. He's got a ton of things to get better at, and he knows it, but Ky's going to be a special player here for sure.''