Calvary Day's Thomas Blackshear, a Benedictine transfer, breaks down his college offers
At 6-foot-2 and close to 200 pounds, with an abundance of athleticism, Thomas Blackshear has all the physical gifts found in top-notch college receivers.
As a sophomore at Benedictine, Blackshear had an impressive season with 41 catches for 641 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games played for the Cadets, who won their second straight Class 4A state title. He transferred to Calvary Day in the spring.
The junior goes from catching passes from BC's Luke Kromenhoek, the Florida State commit ranked the No. 3 quarterback prospect in the country by On3.com, to working with Calvary's senior star Jake Merklinger, the Tennessee commit who is ranked No. 15 in his class by On3.com.
College recruiters have been flocking to Savannah with Calvary Day as a prime landing spot, and they are in a fierce competition in an effort to land the services of Blackshear. June was a huge month for the talented playmaker as he picked up offers from Alabama and Georgia. He has 17 college offers on the table.
"Getting an offer from your home state school, the two-time national champions, meant a lot to me," Blackshear said. "And then to get an offer from my dream school, Alabama, that was really big when Coach (tight ends coach Joe) Cox called. I've always liked Alabama because they produce the best wide receivers — guys like DeVonta Smith and Julio Jones are players I have always looked up to."
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Blackshear said he models his game after Smith and Jones as he tries to combine his speed and excellent hands with a physical approach as a receiver. He said he has enjoyed working with Merklinger in the offseason and can't wait to get the season started in an offense that includes 4-star senior tight end Michael Smith (committed to South Carolina), junior receiver Doopah Coleman, another blue-chip recruit with a host of offers, and senior Caden Arnold, another solid college prospect.
"Jake is a very accurate passer and he is a cool guy to be around," Blackshear said. "And he is going to tell you when you do something right or if you do something wrong. It feels good to be playing for an offense with Jake at quarterback and such great receivers with Power Five offers."
Merklinger said Blackshear has fit right in with his new teammates and has a strong work ethic.
"We've got to work together in practice and in 7-on-7's and Thomas is so talented," Merklinger said. "He's an SEC receiver if you've ever seen one. He's long, athletic and not afraid to go up and catch the ball. He is so fluid and explosive -- he's one of the best receivers I've ever been around."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Recruiting is red hot for Calvary Day football WR Thomas Blackshear
