Thomas Harper (American football)

Thomas Harper
No. 34 – Las Vegas Raiders
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (2000-11-05) November 5, 2000 (age 24)
Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Karns
(Karns, Tennessee)
College:Oklahoma State (2019–2022)
Notre Dame (2023)
Undrafted:2024
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Thomas Harper (born November 5, 2000) is an American professional football safety for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Early life

Harper was born on November 5, 2000, in Knoxville, Tennessee.[1] He grew up playing basketball before trying out for the Karns High School football team as a sophomore.[2] With the Karns football team, he became a top wide receiver and defensive back.[2] He was an all-district, all-region and team MVP selection while being the first player in school history with over 1,000 receiving yards.[3]

Harper totaled 1,086 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior, being named all-state, and then had 1,279 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior, also ending his high school career with 155 tackles, 16 passes defended and three interceptions.[1] A two-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the only Power Five program to give him an offer, which allowed him to join his brother Devin, a linebacker.[4][5]

College career

Harper appeared in 12 games as a true freshman in 2019, mainly on special teams, recording 13 tackles.[1] The following year, he appeared in all 11 games, one as a starter, and recorded 31 tackles while earning second-team Academic All-Big 12 Conference honors.[1] In 2021, he played 12 games and totaled 20 tackles with 1.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs).[6] He won a starting role in 2022.[7] That year, he made 30 tackles and 1.5 TFLs while appearing in seven games.[1]

In 2023, Harper transferred to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for his final season of eligibility.[8] With Notre Dame, he appeared in 11 games and posted 39 tackles, six TFLs, three passes defended and two sacks.[9] He opted out of the team's 2023 Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State due to injury.[10]

College statistics

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Total Solo Ast Sack PD Int Yds TD FF FR TD
2019 Oklahoma State 12 0 13 9 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 Oklahoma State 11 1 30 26 4 0.0 3 1 0 0 0 1 0
2021 Oklahoma State 12 0 20 12 8 0.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
2022 Oklahoma State 7 7 30 17 13 0.0 2 1 11 0 0 0 0
2023 Notre Dame 11 10 39 25 14 2.0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0
Career 53 18 132 89 43 2.0 9 2 11 0 2 1 0

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 10+1⁄8 in
(1.78 m) 		189 lb
(86 kg) 		29+3⁄8 in
(0.75 m) 		8+7⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.47 s 1.50 s 2.50 s 4.39 s 7.11 s 42 in
(1.07 m)		 10 ft 6 in
(3.20 m)		 18 reps
All values from Pro Day[11]

Los Angeles Chargers

After going unselected in the 2024 NFL draft, Harper signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent.[12] He was waived on August 27, as part of the team's roster cuts.[13]

Las Vegas Raiders

On August 28, 2024, Harper was claimed off waivers by the Las Vegas Raiders.[14]

NFL career statistics

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Total Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR TD
2024 LV 2 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 2 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life

Harper was born to his parents Kevin and Alacia. He is the younger brother of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, Devin Harper.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Thomas Harper". Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
  2. ^ a b Williams, Steve (2018). "Talent and work ethic make Thomas Harper a Cowboy, too". The Knoxville Focus.
  3. ^ Brown III, Toyloy (January 6, 2023). "Notre Dame football lands transfer Thomas Harper, former Karns standout". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  4. ^ Torres, Aaron (December 18, 2018). "Why did Karns' Thomas Harper pick Oklahoma State football? It's all about family". Knoxville News Sentinel – via archive.ph.
  5. ^ Farmer, Douglas (July 15, 2023). "Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 13 Thomas Harper, Oklahoma State graduate transfer safety/nickel back". NBC Sports.
  6. ^ Driskell, Bryan (January 9, 2023). "Breaking Down What Thomas Harper Brings To The Notre Dame Defense". Sports Illustrated.
  7. ^ Elmquist, Jason (September 16, 2022). "Thomas Harper finding motivation from brother, former safeties in first year as starter". NewsPress.
  8. ^ Frommer, Justin (February 13, 2023). "Notre Dame football transfer Thomas Harper hopes versatility elevates defense this fall". ND Insider.
  9. ^ Clark, Geoffrey (August 11, 2024). "Former Notre Dame safety Thomas Harper gets NFL preseason sack". USA Today – via Yahoo Sports.
  10. ^ Berardino, Mike (March 22, 2024). "How NFL Combine snub fueled Thomas Harper's strong Pro Day for Notre Dame football". ND Insider.
  11. ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Thomas Harper College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  12. ^ Berardino, Mike (April 27, 2024). "Chargers sign Notre Dame DB Thomas Harper after 2024 NFL Draft. Everything you need to know". ND Insider.
  13. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Reduce Roster to 53 Players". Los Angeles Chargers. August 27, 2024.
  14. ^ "Raiders claim DT Jonah Laulu and S Thomas Harper". Las Vegas Raiders. August 28, 2024.
  15. ^ Unruh, Jacob (October 29, 2021). "How OSU brothers Devin and Thomas Harper grew together". The Oklahoman. Retrieved September 10, 2024.