I am an optimist by nature. With a great faith in people.
So, when someone tells me, say, "I'm on my way to play football at Illinois," I tend to believe them.
That's what happened late Monday afternoon, when I talked to receiver Jeff Thomas. He was on his way to Champaign and said he was excited about getting started with Lovie Smith's program.
Until he wasn't.
Something happened between Monday afternoon and Tuesday night to convince Thomas not to make the switch. He is going back to Miami, where he will compete as a junior this season.