Jeff Thomas (wide receiver)

Jeff Thomas
No. 13 – St. Louis Battlehawks
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1998-06-17) June 17, 1998 (age 26)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:174 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school:East St. Louis
(East St. Louis, Illinois)
College:Miami
Undrafted:2020
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jeff Thomas (born June 17, 1998) is an American football wide receiver for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at the University of Miami and signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

Early life

Thomas attended and played high school football at East St. Louis Senior High School from 2013 to 2016.[1]

College career

Thomas enrolled at the University of Miami on May 22, 2017, where he played from 2017 to 2019.[2] Thomas finished with 17 receptions for 374 yards and two touchdowns his freshman season. Thomas improved on this his sophomore season, finishing with 35 receptions for 563 yards and three touchdowns, however his season was cut short when he was dismissed from the Miami team prior to week 12 after an argument with wide receivers coach Ron Dugans.[3] After his dismissal from the team, Thomas looked to transfer to Illinois but wound up deciding to stay at Miami after head coach Mark Richt retired on December 30, 2018.[4] Thomas played the majority of his junior year at Miami, finishing the season with 31 receptions for 379 yards and three touchdowns, however he was suspended weeks seven and eight due to a violation of team rules.[5] Following his junior season, Thomas declared for the 2020 NFL draft.[6]

College career statistics

Receiving
Year School GP Rec Yds Avg TD
2017 Miami 13 17 374 22.0 2
2018 Miami 11 35 563 16.1 3
2019 Miami 10 31 379 12.2 3
Career 34 83 1316 15.9 8

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 8+7⁄8 in
(1.75 m) 		170 lb
(77 kg) 		30+3⁄8 in
(0.77 m) 		8+3⁄8 in
(0.21 m)		 4.45 s 36.5 in
(0.93 m)		 10 ft 5 in
(3.18 m)
All values from NFL draft[7]

New England Patriots

Thomas signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2020.[8] On September 5, 2020, he was waived by the team during final roster cuts.[9]

Pittsburgh Maulers

On February 23, 2022, Thomas was drafted in the 15th round of the 2022 USFL draft to the Pittsburgh Maulers.[10] He was transferred to the team's inactive roster on April 22, 2022,[11] due to a groin injury.[12] He was transferred to the active roster on April 30.[13] He was moved back to the inactive roster with a hamstring injury.[14][15] He was released on May 19, 2022.

Birmingham Stallions

Thomas was claimed off waivers by the Birmingham Stallions on May 19, 2022,[16] and subsequently moved to the inactive roster the next day.[17] He was transferred to the active roster on May 21.[18] On March 11, 2023, Thomas was released by the Stallions.[19]

St. Louis Battlehawks

On January 19, 2024, Thomas signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL).[20] He was released on April 15, 2024.[21] He was re-signed on May 30.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Jeff Thomas, East St. Louis, Wide Receiver". 247Sports. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  2. ^ "Jeff Thomas College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  3. ^ Degnan, Susan (November 21, 2018). "Former East St. Louis football star Jeff Thomas dismissed from Miami Hurricanes". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  4. ^ Ryan, Shannon (January 16, 2019). "Receiver Jeff Thomas, who said he would transfer to Illinois last month, now says he's staying at Miami after all". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  5. ^ Stock, Christopher (October 23, 2019). "WR Jeff Thomas still suspended, will return at Florida State". 247Sports. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  6. ^ Ivins, Andrew (December 13, 2019). "Miami WR Jeff Thomas declares for NFL Draft". 247Sports. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  7. ^ "NFL Draft Prospect Profile – Jeff Thomas". nfl.com. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  8. ^ marshthomas (May 15, 2020). "Why Jeff Thomas Can Make An Impact For The Patriots". State of The U. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  9. ^ "Patriots roster cuts tracker: Kickers Justin Rohrwasser, Nick Folk both cut". Boston Herald. September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  10. ^ Picaro, Chris (February 23, 2022). "Jeff Thomas Selected by Pittsburgh Maulers in USFL Draft". State of the U. SB Nation. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  11. ^ @USFLMaulers (April 22, 2022). "Transferred to inactive roster" (Tweet). Retrieved April 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ @USFLMaulers (April 22, 2022). "Keith Gipson Jr, CB: Out (Illness) Jeffrey Thomas, WR: Out (Groin)" (Tweet). Retrieved April 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ @USFLMaulers (April 30, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved April 30, 2022 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ @USFLMaulers (May 6, 2022). "Transferred to inactive roster" (Tweet). Retrieved May 6, 2022 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ @USFLMaulers (May 6, 2022). "Jeffrey Thomas, WR: Out (Hamstring)" (Tweet). Retrieved May 6, 2022 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ @USFLStallions (May 19, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved May 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ @USFLStallions (May 20, 2022). "Transferred to inactive roster" (Tweet). Retrieved May 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ @USFLStallions (May 21, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved May 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ @USFLStallions (March 12, 2023). "Released" (Tweet). Retrieved March 13, 2023 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "The UFL Agree to Terms with 42 Players". UFLBoard.com. January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  21. ^ @UFL_PR (April 15, 2024). "The United Football League has announced the following transactions:" (Tweet). Retrieved April 15, 2024 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ "UFL Transactions". UFLBoard.com. Retrieved May 31, 2024.