Alabama offers Dunbar FB Tavion Thomas

Dunbar High School football coach Darran Powell confirmed on Thursday that junior fullback Tavion Thomas has received an offer from the University of Alabama.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound bruising runner also excels at linebacker. Michigan State and Wisconsin of the Big Ten are among his many other offers.

Thomas rushed for 1,606 yards and scored 17 touchdowns last season. He was named All-Ohio D-IV first team and the the Southwest Ohio Public League offensive player of the year. Powell said he also sat out most of the second halves of blowout wins.

Thomas reportedly also will visit Ohio State and Cincinnati this weekend.

He’s just one of several highly recruited juniors for the Wolverines. Receiver Joseph Scates (30 catches, 688 yards, 14 TD’s) has verbally committed to MSU. Linebacker Antwuan Johnson has 20 other offers since decommitting to Michigan. Among those are Cincinnati, Indiana and Ohio.

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Appeared headed to the Division IV playoffs last season, Dunbar (7-3) forfeited Weeks 9-10 wins for playing an academically ineligible player.

That started a series of events that impacted many schools:

• Pete Pullen resigned as Dunbar’s athletic director;

• At least two other teams missed the postseason following an adjustment of computer points (Princeton and Piqua);

• First-round playoff matchups were rearranged, costing several teams (including Trotwood-Madison) financially lucrative home games;

• Accusations by Dunbar coaches that Dayton Public Schools AD Mark Baker instructed Dunbar to lose a Week 10 game to Belmont so both Dunbar and Belmont would qualify for the postseason.

DPS superintendent Rhonda Corr said an internal investigation cleared Baker of any wrong-doing. The Ohio High School Athletic Association continues its separate investigation.

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