K-State’s Daniel Thomas, Turning Myth into True Story

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NEBRASKA FOOTBALL: A Legend in the MakingCommentary: KSU's Thomas Turns Myth into True Story

by Samuel McKewon

October 06, 2010

Before he played a single snap at Kansas State, Daniel Thomas had already carved out a niche as a modern-day myth, this dynamic, spectacular athlete without a natural position or a way to get in to school.

“There was a phantom Daniel Thomas here before Daniel even got here,” senior offensive lineman Wade Weibert said. “You always heard the hoopla.”

It was summer 2009, and the Hilliard, Fla., native had just finished toiling away at Butler County Community College, taking courses so he could qualify to play at KSU. Poor grades at a Mississippi junior college had already robbed Thomas of a scholarship to play at Ole Miss.

“He let some things get away from him,” head coach Bill Snyder said.

He sat out 2008 - Ron Prince’s final year - still trying to cobble together his academic record at Manhattan Christian College. Then Prince was fired, Snyder was hired, and the light switch for Thomas, at long last, really flipped on. He enrolled at Butler.

“He saw some daylight he tried to take advantage of it,” Snyder said. “He realized it was an opportunity that he didn’t want to pass up. He did the work that was necessary to get where he wanted to be.”

So 18 months after he committed to the Wildcats, Thomas - still waiting on his final grades - could only practice with his teammates in unsupervised, improvised workouts. He played quarterback, running back and wide receiver. The silent stud in exile.

“Nobody told us who this quiet kid was,” Weibert said. “It turns out it was Daniel. He flies under the radar.”

But once Thomas gained his eligibility, he had only fall camp to learn the Wildcats’ multiple-formation offense. Snyder put him at quarterback, didn’t like the fit, and shifted him to running back.

The result: 1,265 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns in 2009. More than half that already (628 and 6) in four games for 2010.

Urban legend to campus legend, in 14 months flat.

“The one thing you can expect when you flip on the game film or the TV is something out of the ordinary,” Weibert said. “He’s very special.”

***

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