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True freshman De'Anthony Thomas has brought a bit of his SoCal swagger to Eugene.
The speedy running back, who has already turned heads at Oregon just two games into his collegiate career, has a nickname bestowed upon him by none other than Snoop Dogg.
The rapper dubbed Thomas the ''Black Mamba'' for his stealth and slippery agility.
But the Los Angeles native wants to make it clear that he's more than just a cool name and a few early highlight-worthy plays.
''I know I have to work hard every time I get the ball and be positive,'' he said.
In No. 12 Oregon's 69-20 victory over Nevada last weekend, Thomas caught two touchdown passes, including a 69-yarder, helped out on kickoff returns and had a long 62-yard dash in the first quarter. In all, he led the Ducks with 204 all-purpose yards.
''It's like a dream for me,'' he said afterward, ''and my dream is coming true.''
Thomas was eager to make up for his debut for the Ducks the week before. While he ran for a touchdown against LSU, he also had two costly fumbles in the 40-27 loss to the Tigers at Cowboys Stadium.
It appeared that Thomas made only one ''mistake'' - if you can call it that - against the Wolf Pack. On his second touchdown, a 69-yard reception from quarterback Darron Thomas (no relation), he was supposed to block the outside linebacker. When he missed, he shot down field and looked for the pass.
As he was coming off the field after the score, coach Chip Kelly reminded Thomas he's still a rookie.
''You know you missed your block?'' Kelly told Thomas.
This week, Kelly told reporters on the weekly Pac-12 coaches conference call that he's impressed with his emerging star.
''Very talented young man,'' Kelly said, ''very smart football player.''
Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, founded a youth football league in Los Angeles in 2005 and Thomas is one of the program's success stories.
Thomas would graduate from Snoop's league to play for Crenshaw High School. His senior season he rushed for 1,299 yards and 18 touchdowns, while also picking off five passes on defense to lead the Cougars (12-2) to their second straight city championship. He said in an interview that his role model was Charles Woodson, the Heisman Trophy winner who played on both sides of the ball in college.
Thomas also ran track, and at the state championships his junior year he ran the 200 meters in a wind-aided 20.61 seconds, the best time in the nation for a prep athlete at the time.
He was widely expected to play at USC, but at the last minute changed his mind and committed to Oregon. There was some speculation that the NCAA sanctions that the Trojans faced at the time played into the decision. Kelly said that he had understood that USC wanted Thomas to play on defense, which he ultimately nixed.
Despite the Snoop connection and the L.A. pedigree, Thomas is praised by his teammates as a hard worker. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound back established himself in fall camp as Oregon's next generation behind speedy juniors LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner.
Thomas earned playing time when Barner hurt his ankle against LSU and did not play against Nevada.
Thomas seems to have formed a special bond with James, who rushed for more than 1,700 yards last season and was a Heisman finalist. Thomas calls James his big brother, and James is quick to return compliments.
''He does everything right. He does everything correct,'' James said. ''He really listens and pays attention in meetings. He's a fantastic player.''
But Thomas is well aware that at least for now, he's not going to unseat anyone in the pecking order. That's all the more reason for making the most of his moments, he said.
''Even though I'm a freshman, I'm going to come hard every game and try to improve every game,'' he said.
