Texas A&M freshman Elijah Thomas, a top-50 player coming out of high school and a key cog in the Aggies' stellar recruiting class, has decided to transfer.

"I love the staff and the school," Thomas told ESPN. "But I just feel as though it's best for me to get a fresh start somewhere else."

The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Thomas was ranked by ESPN as No. 31 in the country coming out of Lancaster (Texas) High School. He chose Texas A&M over Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma State and SMU. Thomas joined a freshman class that included big man Tyler Davis (ESPN No. 27) and wings DJ Hogg (No. 35) and Admon Gilder (No. 69).

Thomas averaged nearly 16 minutes per game over the first four contests this season, but since then, he had played sparingly while Davis thrived. He is averaging 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds but will likely be a highly sought-after transfer.

"I'm just hoping to find somewhere that I can get an opportunity to show what I can do," Thomas said. "I have no bad feelings about anything. I appreciate everything Coach [Billy] Kennedy and the staff did for me, and I'm hoping they are successful. Now I'm going to lean on my family and Coach Wes [Grandstaff] and find a place to start the next chapter of my career."

Texas A&M is 8-2 and ranked No. 24 in the country.