Thurmond served as the interim head football coach at the University of Houston for the final game of the 2007 season, the 2007 Texas Bowl.

He returned to his alma mater Charles Page High School to be defensive backs coach from 1977 to 1979.

[3][4] Moving to the college ranks, from 1983 to 1991, Thurmond coached cornerbacks and defensive backs at Tulsa.

[4] During this period, Tulsa had four different head coaches: John Cooper (1983–1984), Don Morton (1985–1986), George Henshaw (1987), and David Rader (1988–1991).

From 2008 to 2010, Thurmond was defensive backs coach at Kentucky, under Rich Brooks from 2008 to 2009 then Joker Phillips in 2010.