After Receiving 129 Notre Dame Letters, 4-Star CB Ambry Thomas Talks Recruiting

There are college football recruits who are ecstatic about getting one piece of mail.

Ambry Thomas came home to 129. From the same school.

Talk about showing love to a recruit.

Thomas, Detroit's standout 2017 athlete and the No. 2 player in the state of Michigan, was surprised with a postal gift of 129 pieces of mail from Notre Dame on Wednesday. Each document focused on the same message: "Team 129," as the 2017 class will be the Fighting Irish's 129th class overall.

"The mailman rung the doorbell, and he gave them all to me," Thomas said. "All 129 said the same thing. When he saw it was Notre Dame, he said, 'Good job,' and smiled.

"But I was looking like, 'Why would they send me all this mail?' At first, I thought it was a mistake because they all said the same thing."

The full message on each flier Thomas received: "At Notre Dame we know that 'Culture Beats Scheme.' In 2015 our 127th team will add to the rich tradition of Notre Dame. The winning culture will continue to the 2017 recruiting class. Your legacy starts today with 129 pieces of mail."

The mail was perfectly timed, as Thomas is scheduled to take an unofficial visit to Notre Dame this weekend. He will be at the game against Texas, and he said the overabundance of postal love boosted his interest in the program.

"It feels really good, and they're a top school for me," Thomas said. "I like their tradition and how they maneuver. You've got to like the school's history. I just want to build the relationships with the coaches. That's my priority when I get there."

According to Tyler James of NDInsider.com, "dozens of top targets and prospects" in the 2017 class received the same gift in the mail from the Irish coaching staff. Head coach Brian Kelly, recruiting coordinator/linebackers coach Mike Elston and the rest of the Notre Dame staff are at full throttle in landing the best talent for that class.

Currently, the 2017 class is three strong, featuring 4-star tight end Brock Wright, 4-star offensive tackle Joshua Lugg and 3-star tackle Dillan Gibbons. The 2016 class has 14 pledges, but Notre Dame is hoping to add to its future.

Thomas, who is being recruited to Notre Dame by defensive line coach Keith Gilmore, would be a great addition, as he's a 5'11", 165-pound athlete who, although listed as a cornerback, can play wide receiver and safety. Thomas has been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.41 seconds, and his efforts have been rewarded with 20 scholarship offers.

Thomas likes Notre Dame, but he stressed the fact that he's wide-open with his process and has a few schools in mind at this point. Among those are LSU, Michigan State, Michigan, Arkansas, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

He said he's going to continue monitoring teams and doing research on schools. He added that he's looking at upcoming unofficial visits to Michigan State and Pitt.

Notre Dame, however, is hoping to take over front-runner status full time with Thomas' weekend visit.

"I'm still open," he said, "but I'm looking at the schools' histories. I want to see how they play and how they can recover from a loss. If they have a down period, how do you recover? That's important to me."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles