Throughout the spring, the recruitment stock of 2026 Karson Thomas started to greatly build. This included picking up his first few division one offer as well to generating interest from numerous programs.
Thomas got off to a big start this spring with the Midwest Renegade helping them get the 16U semifinals of the NY2LA Swish N’ Dish in early April. Then later that month at the NY2LA Spring Extravaganza, he helped them advance to the championship game of the tournament. At both tournaments, the 6’3” guard was one of the top players in attendance. “I helped lead my team to a 26-6 record while averaging 15 points and 6 rebounds,” he said about his spring grassroots season.
In April, Cal State Northridge was the first school to offer Thomas. Shortly following the first offer, he then also added in offers from both Iona and Northern Illinois. As well, some new schools who have started to show interest in him recently include Appalachian State, Purdue Fort Wayne, Southern Indiana, among others.
When talking about his game, Thomas mentioned his play on both ends of the floor. “I would describe myself as a strong and physical 3-level scoring guard with great athleticism and top tier defense.” In the recent NY2LA Illinois 2026 player rankings, Thomas was ranked fourteenth in the state.
After previously attending Lincoln-Way East High School, Thomas will be making the move to Marist High School for his junior season.