Tomball RB Ian Thomas Is Houston's Next Elite Running Back | Next Level

With Landon Williams-Callis entering his senior season at Richmond Randle, the conversation around Houston's next elite running back is already underway. One name rising fast: Ian Thomas of Tomball, a junior who put together a sophomore campaign that would turn heads at any classification level.

Thomas rushed for more than 1,500 yards and scored 22 touchdowns last season — and he still has two years of high school football ahead of him. At six-foot-one and 185 pounds, he combines shiftiness with power and clocks a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine named him a preseason offensive MVP heading into the fall.

The production doesn't happen in a vacuum. Thomas credits his offensive line, which features standout blocker Jacob Mundy at six-foot-one, 275 pounds. He also shares the backfield with Trayvon Johnson, who rushed for close to 700 yards a year ago — giving Tomball a legitimate one-two punch that can run between the tackles, break outside, and catch passes out of the backfield.

Tomball figures to be a factor in their district race, sitting right behind Klein Collins in the pecking order but with enough firepower to challenge for the title. With college programs already taking notice of Thomas, this junior season carries real weight — both for his recruitment and for a Tomball program with playoff aspirations.