2025 CB Cree Thomas commits to Notre Dame football

Notre Dame added a commitment in the 2025 class on Monday with Phoenix Brophy College Preparatory cornerback Cree Thomas announcing his pledge to the Fighting Irish.

The 6-1, 170-pounder earned an offer from Notre Dame in the spring and visited campus four times before his public decision, including two game day visits in October. He picked Notre Dame over the likes of Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon and Wisconsin.

“One of the biggest things was that I can continue to practice my faith; it’s a faith-based school,” Thomas told Blue & Gold regarding his choice of Notre Dame prior to making his pledge public. “While talking to God, I felt it was the best decision for me.

“Another thing is the atmosphere; it’s amazing. There’s a family culture where everyone loves each other, and the coaches showed so much love throughout my recruiting process.

“Why not Notre Dame? Every time I went there, the commits were always super cool, and it came down to where I felt most wanted. It’s the best decision for my family and me.”

Thomas gives Notre Dame nine verbals in the 2025 class and is the Irish’s first defensive back pledge in the class. Six of the nine commits pledged to the Irish since September.

He ranks as the nation’s No. 372 overall prospect and No. 43 cornerback according to the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking. Thomas is the No. 2 recruit from his home state of Arizona.

Thomas goes in depth on Notre Dame commitment

While it wasn’t until Nov. 20 that Thomas announced his decision, he’s actually been privately committed to the Irish coaching staff for about a month. Thomas favored Notre Dame for quite some time, and his visit to see the Irish dismantle USC made him seriously ponder his pledge.

Thomas visited Notre Dame at the end of October for the Pittsburgh game, but at that point, he had already informed the staff of his commitment decision and wanted to wait until Nov. 20, the day that his late grandfather passed away in a previous year.

“After visiting for the USC game, I was pretty sure it was what I wanted to do,” Thomas explained. “I wanted to pray about it and talk with my family. My dad and I made a list of the pros and cons of my top options at the time, and Notre Dame knocked it out of the park. It was ahead on all aspects. I knew I had to pull the trigger, so I called the coaches and made it official.”

When Thomas returned to South Bend for the Pittsburgh game, he felt right at home.

“It was super cool,” he said. “I was sitting in my seat thinking, ‘This is home.’ It solidified my decision, too. We were beating Pitt by 50 and the atmosphere was still like it was the first snap. I want to play on the biggest stage, and this is the type of crowd I want to play in front of.”

Notre Dame quarterback pledge Deuce Knight has taken on a leadership role for the Irish in the 2025 class, and he was in Morrison’s ear frequently. They met for the first time for the USC game in mid-October.

“I was standing at the 50-yard line with Coach [Chad] Bowden and Deuce, and they were telling me that Notre Dame was the spot to be,” said Thomas. “And they were right.”

Thomas comes from the same high school that produced Irish sophomore cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who was a senior at Brophy Prep when Thomas was a freshman. Morrison has taken a mentorship role for Thomas, answering all the questions that Thomas has had about the recruiting process.

“The connection with Ben — that was another huge reason,” Thomas said about picking Notre Dame. “It’s starting the Brophy pipeline to Notre Dame. I told Ben that I was committing, and he was super hyped.”

Next season will most likely be Morrison’s last in a Notre Dame uniform, as he has the potential to come off the board early in the 2025 NFL Draft, which would mean that Morrison and Thomas won’t get to play together in South Bend.

“I probably still would’ve ended up at Notre Dame even if Ben wasn’t there with how amazing the school is,” noted Thomas. “But it was cool to see that they developed a kid from my high school. It makes me know that if I work as hard as him, then I can do what he did.”

The Notre Dame staff was crucial in Thomas’ decision to pick the Fighting Irish.

“They showed so much love,” he said. “I really appreciate that. They’d talk to me about more than football; they’ll ask about my life. That meant a lot to my in my process. I wanted to pick a school with a coaching staff that wanted me as a person and not just a football player, and Coach [Mike] Mickens and Coach [Marcus] Freeman did just that.”

“Coach Bowden always has high energy, and it’s fun talking to him. He hit me up a lot and was huge in my recruitment. Coach [Al] Golden as well — he was always texting me and talking about my high school games.”

There is more than a year until Thomas will sign with a school and much could potentially change in his recruitment, but he has no intentions of being anything but loyal to Notre Dame.

“I haven’t even thought about it, but I doubt I’ll take other visits,” he said. “I’m confident that Notre Dame is home.”

Thomas was named to the 2023 Arizona 6A Central All-Region first-team defense for his efforts as a junior. He’s recorded 37 tackles, 5 interceptions and 4 pass break ups this fall.