Earnest Thomas, a PrepStar All-Region defensive back from Orchard Lake St. Mary's, in Michigan, has decided to play for Illinois. Early on he had committed to UCLA, but backed out, deciding to consider a number of "closer" schools, including Missouri, Penn State, Stanford, West Virginia and Wisconsin, all offering, plus Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Notre Dame, which did not. He visited Minnesota on the 22nd and Illinois on the 28th. He was supposed to visit the Badgers on the 29th, but did not.

Earnest is 602, weighs 195 pouns and has been timed at 4.6 seconds in the forty-yard dsh. He bench-presses three-hundred pounds and has as a thirty-inch vertical jump.

Earnest is z solid student in a tough Catholic prep school. He has a 3.0 grade point average and has acored a twenty-one the ACT.

Thomas is toughk an exceptional tackler and a safety who could well become a fine linebacker. He needs some work on basic pass defense principles.

As a senior he rushed for 500 yards and fifteen touchdowns on offense, but truly excelled on defense, making 100 tackles, forcing one fumble and making one interception. As a junior he made 85 tackles, ten sacks and seven interceptons.