USC QB Thomas remains in limbo

Jason Thomas will have to wait at least one more day before getting the release from his football scholarship at Southern Cal.

The highly touted 6-foot-5, 230-pound left-handed quarterback, who is expected to eventually transfer to UNLV, will meet with USC football coach Paul Hackett and Trojan athletic director Mike Garrett on Tuesday to ask for his unconditional release.

Thomas cannot officially contact schools about transferring until he obtains that document.

As reported in Friday's Sun, Thomas' parents, Charles and Lois, met with Hackett and Garrett on Friday morning at Heritage Hall to ask for their son's release. However, they left that meeting empty-handed.

"(Garrett) said it was a really big decision and that they'd like to hear it from Jason," Charles Thomas said. "Jason had to go to class that day and didn't go to the meeting."

Although Hackett was quoted in Los Angeles-area papers as saying Friday's meeting with the Thomas family "was positive," Charles Thomas said he had a completely different take on the situation.

"I don't think there's a snowball's chance in hell that Jason is going to change his mind (about transferring) no matter what Hackett is saying," Charles Thomas said. "I asked Jason how committed he was (to leaving USC) and he said, 'I want my release.' I don't think he's going to change his mind."

So why the delay?

"I don't know if Garrett wants to hear Jason's reasons or if he wants to give Jason a chance to say some of the things to Hackett that he has said to us," Thomas said.

"We don't want this thing to drag out and be an ongoing situation. Mike Garrett told us it could be a win-win situation where everybody is happy. I think that means us saying nothing negative about the school and Jason getting his release."

Thomas, a rare unanimous pick in the Long Beach Press-Telegram's Best in the West poll of college coaches following his senior year at Compton's Dominguez High School in 1997, felt he would be given an equal opportunity to compete with sophomore Carson Palmer for the Trojans' starting quarterback job this spring. Thomas redshirted last season following arthroscopic surgery to remove scar tissue from his left ankle.

But Thomas became disenchanted when he read in the school spring media guide a quote from Hackett which said "It's a two-man race (with junior Mike Van Raaphorst) behind Carson" for the backup spot.

He skipped USC's two spring workouts last week with what Hackett called a "hamstring injury." However, Charles Thomas said his son --- who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.52 and was named the California state athlete of the year as both a sophomore and junior by Student Sports Magazine --- had earlier informed quarterback coach Ken O'Brien of his decision to leave the team because he was used as a wide receiver and punt returner in some drills.

Although it's no secret that Garrett and new UNLV football coach John Robinson are not on the best of terms, Charles Thomas said Garrett never mentioned the possibility of not allowing his son to transfer to UNLV.

"He said he wouldn't release Jason to another Pac-10 school, but that's fine," Charles Thomas said. "The only Pac-10 school Jason wanted to go to was USC, anyway."

Thomas also visited Nebraska out of high school. However, because of UNLV's proximity to Los Angeles and the family's admiration for Robinson (who did most of the recruiting of Thomas for USC), Jason Thomas is expected to wind up with the Rebels.

"I'd say they're definitely the front-runner," Charles Thomas said. "Now it's just a matter of getting his release."

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