Hailing originally from Seattle, Washington, Thomas has been playing football since he was eight years old. The son of a coach, he describes the game as his “first love.”
He grew up idolizing his father’s football career; “he always talked about being the best corner in the city,” Thomas said. After testing out multiple positions for himself, Thomas decided to focus on being a cornerback—a move to the “island” that fed his competitive nature and pushed him to be a better player with each play.
“Even now—it doesn’t matter what I’m doing—I’m trying to win.”
When it was time to play for a college, Thomas spent his first year at the University of Washington before transferring to Montana State University. Initially, his move to a new state was a bit shocking; “I didn't really know where Montana was,” Thomas laughed, “I was a city kid.” Yet, he knew on his first official visit that he had found his future team.
Today, Thomas credits John Rushing and the rest of Montana State’s coaching staff with changing the trajectory of his life. He appreciates that his coaches never tried to stop him from being himself on or off the field, and now channels that same energy into celebrating his own players’ individuality.
