As a sophomore, he was the backup of future NFL player Mike Bell.
As a junior, he was a two-way player at running back and free safety.
As a senior, he was named Arizona State High School Player of the Year and a Parade All-American, after setting Arizona high school records for rushing yards in a single-season with 3,573 yards and 47 touchdowns.
Thomas accepted a football scholarship from the University of Texas at El Paso.
He rushed for a career-high 207 yards and 3 touchdowns against SMU, helping the team tie the second-largest comeback in program history with a 48-45 overtime win.
He had a school-record seven 100-yard games, becoming only the seventh player in Miner history to rush for more than 1,000 yards and the fourth to score more than 100 points in a single-season.
Thomas was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2008 NFL draft.
[2] On August 31, 2008, a day after being let go by the Chargers, Thomas was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions.
[3] He appeared in three games for the Lions before being waived on October 9 when the team signed fullback Moran Norris.
On December 17, 2008, he was signed to the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys and remained there through the end of the season.