The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1285691
28 ■ THE WOLFPACKER out. He remembers Pack legend Bradley Chubb coming up to him one day and say- ing, "You're going to play here. You're go- ing to have a lot of success." His first official game at NC State, the 2018 season-opener against James Madison, proved that. His first touch was a 40-yard punt return. His second was a 16-yard touchdown reception. In week two, Thomas caught nine passes for 114 yards and a score against Geor- gia State, making him the fastest in school history to post a 100-yard receiving game. After his successful redshirt freshman season was over at NC State, an opportu- nity in baseball presented itself. The year before, Thomas inquired about suiting up, but the Pack had three outfielders that were all about to be selected in the MLB Draft. However, head coach Elliott Avent was so impressed by a workout Thomas did that he told him to come back next spring. Avent was serious, too. As soon as Thomas arrived home from the Gator Bowl in Jackson- ville, Fla., his first call was from Avent asking him to come to a team meeting in three days. The schedule that spring was daunting: lift- ing for football in the wee hours of the morn- ing, starting classes around eight or nine, eat- ing lunch and then hustling over to baseball. During the 2019 baseball season's opening weekend, the plan was for Thomas to start game two on Saturday. That was fine with him because he had a schedule conflict on Friday — a class at 1:55 before a 2:30 game. "Everyone was like, 'You're not starting this game, so you can just go to class and just come back in the locker room, get dressed and the game will be already started so just come to the dugout,'" Thomas remembered. He arrived around the third inning, and two innings later he heard Avent's voice as the coach was staring at him, telling him: "Grab a bat." His first at-bat produced a bloop single. Despite the successes, Thomas was men- tally and physically drained. It became harder to juggle both football and base- ball, and his time on the diamond began to shrink. That's not to say he did not impress in his limited action. The Boston Red Sox drafted Thomas in the 33rd round in 2019. Thomas received a six-figure offer to con- sider it, but after consulting with several two- sport stars — notably former Pack legend Russell Wilson — he decided not to take it. "Russell said football comes once in a lifetime," Thomas explained. "And if you take your time away from football, it could slip away from you." Wilson also noted that baseball will al- ways be there if football did not work out. Ready For Big Things Last year was successful for Thomas, but it could have been better. He battled a nagging hamstring injury that he attributed to go- ing basically non-stop between the football and baseball seasons, and offseason training, leading his body to essentially break down. He hated losing last season, especially since he has only known winning, but when the 2019 fall campaign was over, he also had a bit of relief. "I needed to get my body right," Thomas remembered thinking. There would have been no baseball for Thomas in 2020, even if the COVID-19 pandemic had not shut it down early. Ironi- cally, the quarantine may have been good for Thomas to rest up and re-energize. When athletes returned to campus over the summer, Doeren saw that firsthand. "He's fresh right now," Doeren noted. Thomas is also going back to his familiar No. 5, the one that helped him get discovered by Doeren when he was at Heritage High. He previously wore No. 87 for NC State. "Eighty-seven is sort of like a walk-on me, and I just want to take it to another level," Thomas explained. Don't bet against him doing just that. ■ In addition to being a starting receiver and punt returner, Thomas occasionally throws the football — he tossed two touchdowns on trick plays last fall — and also played baseball in the spring of 2019. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN