Roc Thomas to Transfer from Auburn: Latest Comments and Reaction

Auburn Tigers head football coach Gus Malzahn announced Tuesday running back Roc Thomas will be transferring.

Brandon Marcello of SEC Country reported the news and featured comments from Malzahn, who said, "Roc Thomas has asked for his release from Auburn, and I have granted his request. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward."

Thomas ran for 475 yards and three touchdowns on 86 rushing attempts and had 17 catches for 227 yards and another score in his two seasons with the Tigers. He was in the process of converting to slot receiver this spring, per Marcello.

Jay G. Tate of Rivals.com reported Thomas is headed to Jacksonville State, an FCS team that lost to Auburn 27-20 last season. The Gamecocks are 23-4 and a perfect 16-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference since coach John Grass took the helm.

Since he's reportedly headed to the FCS, Thomas will be eligible to play right away rather than having to sit out a year if he were to go to another program at NCAA football's highest level.

Given Malzahn's penchant to run the ball, Thomas seemed like a dream fit for the Tigers offense, but his stint didn't work out as planned. Subpar quarterback play and 1,000-yard rushers in Cameron Artis-Payne and Peyton Barber limited Thomas' ability to make an impact over the past two years.

Thomas, a rising junior, was a 5-star recruit and is a thickly built, explosive ball-carrier who Auburn lists at 5'10" and 203 pounds.

With a fresh start on a new team, perhaps Thomas can prove why he was so highly coveted coming out of high school. He did rather well with his limited opportunities at Auburn, and his versatile all-around skill set is evident in the fact the Tigers were trying to convert him to receiver.

As long as Thomas embraces his role for his reported team—whether he lines up in the backfield or in the slot—he ought to emerge as one of the Gamecocks' premier playmakers.

Jacksonville State advanced all the way to the national title game against North Dakota State this past season, so adding someone as talented as Thomas to the fold would be a big boost to its championship prospects.

Star rankings courtesy of 247Sports.