ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
LSU senior wide receiver Zavion Thomas has been all over the field this season – at wide receiver, running back and even quarterback – so much so that he may feel like he’s back at John Ehret High in New Orleans, or even younger.
“My whole life, I’ve been playing running back, quarterback and receiver, so now it’s just like second nature,” Thomas said at player interviews this week.
Thomas totaled over 2,000 all-purpose yards during his senior year at Ehret – 1,025 receiving, 779 rushing and 379 yards on punt returns.
“I love it. It’s another role and I’m just being the best player I can be while putting a lot on film so it’s just fun,” Thomas said as the No. 3 Tigers (2-0) prepare to host Florida (1-1) on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC) at Tiger Stadium.
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Thomas is listed as a wide receiver, where he caught 23 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns last season and 40 for 503 yards as a sophomore at Mississippi State in 2023. So far this season, he has five catches for 54 yards.
But this past off-season, LSU coach Brian Kelly, offensive coordinator Steve Sloan and other coaches decided to expand Thomas’ role. He has carried the ball on various reverses and counters nine times for 80 yards – an average of 8.9 yards a carry. He also has a 16-yard pass completion and has returned two punts for 24 yards.
“From talking to coach (Sloan), he just instilled in me that I’m going to have a big role this year,” Thomas said. “So, every day at practice I try to just be the best player I can be each and every play. It’s working out for the better right now.”
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Kelly was impressed enough with Thomas’ approach to his multiple role that he made him a game captain.
“It was because of his selflessness – doing whatever we asked him to do,” Kelly said on the Southeastern Conference teleconference on Wednesday. “That’s the kind of player he’s been. He has brought that kind of mindset and and attitude to everything. He’s been a great teammate.”
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Thomas worked at all three positions during August camp practices, and reporters at practice at the time took note. But this was not just August talk. His role will continue to be multiple.
“I do it so much at practice that in the game, it becomes like second nature to a point,” he said. “So just doing it at practice to get that confidence instilled in my head plays a big part in it.”
Thomas has a natural ability to read the field as a ball carrier. He can make defenders miss and is explosive in open space. And to him, he is really only playing one position.
“It’s just football,” he said. “I’ve been playing football since I was six years old, so it’s just getting the ball and making a play at the end of the day. It’s not as hard as people think.”
And he is ready for additional duties.
“Whether I have to go block, run a route, pass protect, whatever I got to do for us to win, that’s what I’m going to do,” he said.
And because LSU’s offense has struggled in both of its games, as far as putting up big numbers, Thomas will likely continue to be a necessary option – not just a novelty.
“We’re only two games in, but we’re going to the sky,” he said. “The sky is the limit.”
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