Azareye’h Thomas sometimes plays the cornerback position like he’s a wide receiver.

The Florida State freshman certainly looks like one with his lengthy frame at 6-foot-2, 188 pounds. But Thomas also has some of the same attributes that most talented receivers have, particularly his ability to track and play the ball in the air.

That’s not a coincidence.

As a two-way player for Niceville High, Thomas impressed at receiver almost as much as he did on defense. Thomas even could have played receiver for multiple Division I programs, if that’s what he preferred.

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Since he came to campus as an early enrollee in January, Thomas has proven that he fits best in the secondary. He’s a well-rounded cornerback who has the long arms and ball skills to cover taller receivers, the loose hips to stick with quicker receivers and the intelligence to recognize and jump routes.

Thomas insists that his experience as a receiver has helped him flash early for the Seminole defense.

“Playing receiver in high school, you know what a receiver wants, where he aligns,” Thomas said. “Playing receiver helped me a bunch, and really as a DB, you have to have ball skills. So that helped a whole bunch.”

With his position versatility and overall skills, Thomas projects to at least contribute in a rotational role this season. But if he continues to stand out this month, Thomas could conceivably push for a starting job. He’s one of a few options at field cornerback, the position that lost 2021 starter Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (Louisville) to the transfer portal in March.

Azareye'h Thomas making an immediate impact

Thomas immediately shined in the spring, but he’s taken his game to another level in the preseason.

Through six preseason practices, Thomas boasts a team-high four forced turnovers. No other defender has more than two.

FSU head coach Mike Norvell praised Thomas for his fluid movements, explosiveness and ball skills. Thomas’ approach and overall mentality might be just as important as any of those qualities.

“He plays with a great deal of confidence for a young player,” Norvell said. “Anybody can have a good attitude when it’s going well. But whenever you get beat on a play – he’s had a couple of those, too. The way he’s able to transition to the next play, that’s a learned skill for some guys.

“A lot of guys come in, they’ve been the best guys and they don’t experience much defeat in practice or games when they are in high school. Then they come to college, and it’s a different game.

“That’s one of the defining factors for a young guy to be able to play early.”

Another defining factor will be how Thomas performs with full pads. He didn’t have to tackle, help in run support or embrace full contact until the Seminoles donned full pads for the first time Tuesday. They also will hold their first intra-squad scrimmage Saturday.

“I’m excited to see how much he can prove between now and Saturday,” FSU defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson said Monday. "And then going out in a full, live scrimmage and seeing how he responds.

“The tackling and the physicality is the biggest challenge that I have for him. In seven on seven, he’s as good as anybody. And with shells on.

“But once we have to go out and actually put it all together – the physical side of it, actually tackling and taking guys to the ground – that’s the biggest challenge I have for him right now.

“But he’s exceeded expectations up until this point.”

The Seminoles returned their other four starters in the secondary – safeties Jammie Robinson and Akeem Dent, boundary cornerback Omarion Cooper and nickel cornerback Kevin Knowles II – after last season.

Below are Woodson’s assessments of a couple other options at field cornerback, along with his thoughts on a couple nickel cornerbacks.

Field cornerback

• Renardo Green, 6-0, 185: Green had plenty of ups and downs in his first three collegiate seasons.

Green saw the field early but never seemed comfortable after moving to safety before the 2020 season. He also struggled with injuries. Switching back to cornerback this offseason, though, has made a difference for Green. He started at the field position all spring and held his own.

“He’s a guy who has been intentional with his technique and fundamentals,” Woodson said. “He’s a guy who has grown so much mentally. He’s an emotional, mature kid, and I couldn’t say that about him two years ago. I’m just excited about the growth that he’s made.”

If Green starts opposite of solidified boundary cornerback Omarion Cooper this fall, he earned it. And if Green loses the starting job – especially to Thomas – that likely would not be an indictment against him. It would be a testament to how much the other player impressed.

Whether Green will be the starter for the entire season remains to be seen. But Green is unquestionably the best he’s ever been.

“Renardo is a father now,” Woodson said. “Ever since his daughter has been born, he’s been different. …

“The ups, the downs and the lessons that he’s learned, he’s applying those lessons day in and day out. He comes out every day with a positive mentality, and that’s spreading throughout the room.”

• Sam McCall, 6-1, 187: As the highest-ranked player in FSU’s 2022 recruiting class, McCall shows intriguing potential.

It’s possible McCall will be a significant contributor later this season. But he first needs to be more consistent. McCall has his moments but tends to be lost in the mix. His issues are typical for a freshman, though, and they aren’t too concerning. He brings the physical traits necessary to be a solid defensive back.

Which DB position McCall plays long term could be worth monitoring.

“Sam is very competitive,” Woodson said.” But he’s still got some improvement to do in terms of the details and the way that he finishes. He’s still acclimating to the speed of how we do things here at Florida State. He’s going to be a phenomenal player. He’s got to continue to improve the ‘L’ in ‘Climb,’ which is the little things. …

“That’s the one thing that I’m really coaching him hard on, is his effort, the day-to-day details and the consistency that goes with it. He’s super talented.

“But I want his effort and his attention to detail to reflect and match the talent that he has. And when it does, he’s going to be a really good player.”

Nickel cornerback

• Kevin Knowles II, 5-11, 185: FSU’s coaching staff is not considering moving Knowles to outside cornerback, at least for now.

The Seminoles significantly benefited from Knowles' play at nickel last season. Despite manning one of the most demanding positions on the defense as a true freshman, Knowles managed to hold his own. To remain as the starter, Knowles will have to fend off a couple players like Jarrian Jones and Louisville transfer Greedy Vance.

Jones and Vance are also lining up at outside cornerback.

“He’s a gym rat. He’s a film junkie,” Woodson said. “That converts over to the field. He’s a really detailed kid. He’s a student of the game. And he takes it to the field and applies it as well.

“He’s also the same as Azareye’h. If you show it to him in the film room, and you tell it to him, he can take it and apply it right away when we get out on the gross.

“So I’m excited about the maturity that he has shown, but he showed that last year as a true freshman. That experience he gained as a freshman, you can see it applying to who he is today.”

• Jarrian Jones, 6-0, 189: After he exclusively played outside cornerback last season, Jones’ future could be at the nickel position.

The Mississippi State transfer has cross-trained at outside and inside cornerback this preseason. He has yet to look overmatched at nickel.

“Jarrian is a guy who has really put an emphasis on technique and fundamentals,” Woodson said. “He’s applying it throughout the play. He’s always shown the athletic ability to be able to get it done.

“I’m excited for the growth that he’s made inside, because he hadn’t done that up until this point for us. I’m really excited to see the strides that he’s made. But he’s got to continue to improve and get better.”

Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: Freshman Azareye'h Thomas off to hot start this preseason