He was a three-year starter at Valhalla High School in El Cajon, California and earned various All-State honors.
He was also a member of the Minnesota Havok of the Indoor Football League and the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL.
Thomas also previously served under Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield at Appalachian State and Louisville.
[9] Thomas played in 13 games his junior year in 2008, throwing for over 3,100 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions as he helped the Norsemen advancing to the CIF San Diego Section final held at Qualcomm Stadium, where the team lost to eventual Division II state bowl champion Cathedral.
[15] He appeared in 11 games as a senior in 2009, passing for 2,392 yards and 24 touchdowns with six interceptions[12][18] as the Norseman won their first Grossmont South League title in school history,[12][19] and advanced to the first round of the CIF Division II state playoffs.
[15] He was also a finalist for the KUSI Silver Pigskin, which is awarded to the best high school football player in the San Diego Section.
[1] Thomas also lettered two years in baseball, playing varsity as a freshman and sophomore before deciding to focus on football.
[47][32][48] The firing of Arizona State offensive coordinator Rich Olson on December 3, 2009, reportedly affected Thomas's decision.
Thomas said that "after Coach Olson wasn't there anymore, I felt that I had to step back and reevaluate the situation.
[1] He started attending Colorado State in the spring of 2010 due to graduating a semester early from high school.
[1] He completed 29 of 36 passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns in a 36–34 win against the Idaho Vandals on September 25, earning Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.
[57][56] The firing of head coach Steve Fairchild in December 2011 reportedly played a role in his decision to transfer.
[61][62] Before the announcement, NC State head coach Dave Doeren had publicly said that transfer Jacoby Brissett would be the starter for the next two seasons.
[55] Thomas also set single-season school records in passing completions and attempts while becoming the third quarterback in Warhawks history to throw for at least 3,000 yards in a season.
[73] He went undrafted and then participated in rookie mini-camp with the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL).
[78] He made his AFL debut at quarterback in relief of starter Nathan Stanley on April 9, 2016, against the Arizona Rattlers, completing one of three passes for ten yards.
[79] He made his first career AFL start in place of the injured Stanley on May 28, 2016, completing 16 of 26 passes for 223 yards and six touchdowns in a 54–42 win against the Portland Steel.
[80][81] Thomas played in 12 games, starting six, during the 2016 regular season and completed 167 of 295 passes for 2,086 yards, 43 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
In 2017, he joined the Appalachian State Mountaineers as an offensive graduate assistant under head coach Scott Satterfield.
Thomas's older brother, Chris, wrestled at the Air Force Academy and his mother, Avis, was on the crew team at the University of San Diego.