VALDOSTA — Blazers football may have found its own version of “The Rocket.”

And no, this guy is not from South Bend, Ind., or in any way affiliated with touchdown Jesus. He’s from Cordele, and he’s fast.

Real fast.

Valdosta State wide receiver Raymond Thomas stepped onto Cleveland Field last Saturday against Albany State for his first collegiate game, and he didn’t disappoint. Thomas caught nine passes for 115 yards in the Blazers’ 21-3 season opening win over the Golden Rams. Not bad numbers, especially for a redshirt freshman.

Game two is Saturday afternoon in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., when the Blazers — ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in different Division II polls — meet the 24th-ranked team in Division I-AA, Florida Atlantic. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. (radio: WWRQ-FM 107.9) at Lockhart Stadium.

“It really wasn’t a surprise for me,” Thomas said. “I just went out and did everything we’ve been practicing and it came second nature.”

Although Thomas only has one game under his belt, he’s already been cleverly labeled “The Rocket” by Blazers’ head coach Chris Hatcher. Besides the fact that Thomas is explosive and possesses great speed (timed at 4.45 in the 40), he also played high school ball at Crisp County in Cordele, home to the 90-something foot tall Titan I nuclear rocket.

“That’s cool,” Thomas said of the nickname. “Coach Hatcher’s got his own style.”

Thomas isn’t quite as tall as the rocket in his home town — actually he’s only 5-9 and weighs 167 pounds — but what he lacks in size he makes up with his speed and ability.

“[The nickname] is deserving because he can fly,” said Blazers offensive coordinator and receivers coach David Dean. “He’s still got some fine tuning to do because he’s still got to learn the whole realm of the system.”

The Blazers would have had Thomas in the lineup last season as a true freshman if not for a broken thumb that forced him to redshirt. But a season without playing was not a season without learning for Thomas, who says the injury may have been beneficial now that he looks back on it.

“I would have played last year, but I would have had to play behind a sensational senior in Reggie Mosley,” Thomas said. “I learned a lot from him last year so it was kind of a good thing that I broke my thumb. It gave me a chance to learn the offense, but this year is my year.”

Speaking of Mosley, Thomas is already drawing comparisons to the Valdosta State all-America wide receiver because the two are so close in stature (Mosley was 5-foot-8, 177 pounds) and both are speed demons.

In fact, Dean remembers thinking just that while recruiting Thomas during his senior season in 2001.

“When I saw him in high school I fell in love with him,” Dean said. “I said that’s the future Reggie Mosley right there. I think the comparisons are very good.”

Mosley graduated from Valdosta State after the 2002 season holding the school’s all-time scoring record (296 points), receiving yardage record (3,738 yards) and receiving touchdowns record (48). Even though it may be a tall order for such a short man, Dean believes Thomas may just chase some of those numbers down.

“Reggie was only in [the offensive system] for three years,” Dean said. “[Raymond] will be in it for five if he stays here the whole time. It’s tough to say, but he could end up being better than Reggie before it’s all said and done.”

Said Thomas, “For me to be able to fill those shoes, it’s going to be a challenge. But I can handle it.”