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Home / Sport

American football prodigy's viral athletic video

NZ Herald
7 Apr, 2017 04:11 AM3 mins to read

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Usain Bolt he is not, but man Kardell Thomas can move. The 150kg teenager, who will play gridiron for Louisiana State University next semester, showcased his impressive speed in the last leg of a 4x100-metre relay in the US. Twitter / Coach Rell Johnson
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It would be so easy to take one look at Kardell Thomas, all 150kg of him, and pigeonhole him as a human blimp destined for a career as an NFL lineman.

You would be wrong, in part.

The teenage freak, known as Mr Pancakes by his teammates at Louisiana's Southern University Laboratory School, would be disappointed to hear you doubt his athletic prowess.

The high school junior, who has already committed to Louisiana State University for 2019 as the No. 1 offensive lineman prospect in the country, wants you to know he is more, so much more, than just another fridge with eyes, whose only job will be to block for a quarterback or running back.

The evidence, released recently, supports him.

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It's overwhelming.

Thomas is the star of a viral video which shows his high school football team's offensive line competing in a 4x100m relay race at a school's athletic track.

It's not hard to see why Thomas has become an internet sensation.

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The boy can move.

This video is far from the end of Thomas' story. As we reported above, he is a seriously talented kid.

According to some high school football scouting reports, he is the fifteenth best footballing prospect heading to college in 2019.

The kid has skills.

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He also has a growing fan base that is pushing him towards cult hero status.

Yes, it turns out, the average sports fan, still loves to see some flubber fly once in a while.

Thomas is not shy when it comes to discussing his skills outside of his ability to squash anything that moves within a 5m radius of his location.

Since going viral, he has declared he hopes the speed he showed in the clip will convince his future LSU coach to consider giving him the ball in a few plays when he plays college ball.

Incredibly, the thunder Thomas delivered during the relay, is not even a full demonstration of his explosive pace.

He has speed to burn.

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He reckons he would have won the race in the video above if he'd been wearing his standard size 17 sneakers, instead of the size 18 he wore that day.

"A lot of people didn't think I was that fast," Thomas told 247Sports.

"Big-man speed is very underrated. I feel like if I had my shoes on I would have run way faster than that."

His future LSU offensive coordinator, coach Matt Canada, is officially on notice. Thomas is more than your standard blocker.

"Coach Canada throws the ball to his linemen, too, so me and (Southern Lab Head) Coach (Marcus) Randall have been discussing that a lot," Thomas said.

"I haven't sent the video to (Canada) yet, but he probably saw it. When I got down there next time he'll probably tell me about it."

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Remember the name, Kardell Thomas.

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