Game Day Feature: Aaron Thomas
9/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
This story originally ran in the September 19th football game program against McNeese State. Pick up your game program each home game for feature stories on your favorite Lumberjack football players.
THE SIZE OF THE FIGHT
Senior wide receiver Aaron Thomas sits on the verge of some pretty elite company.
Through the first two games of the 2015 season, Thomas has caught six passes for 71 yards, ranking second on the team. Those have added to his lofty career totals as he now boasts 131 catches for 1,816 yards as a Lumberjack.
Not too shabby for someone who wasn’t sure if he’d even have a spot on the team when he came to campus.
“It was definitely hard going from the top of the totem pole in high school to beyond the bottom of the totem pole in college,” Thomas said. “It was a weird feeling. But at the same time, nobody really expected me to do anything, so I felt I had nothing to lose.”
The Burnet native had experienced a fair share of success during his high school career, helping lead the Bulldogs to a district championship in 2009 and back-to-back playoff appearances. Playing primarily at cornerback during his prep career, Thomas also began playing receiver his senior season, a decision that would prove to be a productive one.
With his prep career wrapped up, Thomas found himself without any collegiate offers. He had received some phone calls from schools at the Division II and Division III levels to walk-on, but Thomas felt he could compete at the Division I level.
A phone call from his high school coach to then-defensive coordinator David Gibbs set up a visit to SFA, setting the wheels in motion for Thomas to make his mark as a Lumberjack.
“They definitely took a chance on me, and I just wanted to do everything I could to make sure they knew how much I wanted this,” Thomas said.
Thomas readily admits he’s not the fastest, the tallest or the most skilled athlete on the field. It’s been a challenge he’s experienced from day one, but it has also proven to help define him as both a player and a person.
“Burnet is the Bulldogs, so we had a sign in the locker room that said ‘it’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog’” Thomas recalls. “That was something I tried to take to heart. I may not be the most gifted receiver on the field, but I can be the hardest working, have the best attitude and be willing to do whatever it takes for the team to succeed.
“We had some incredibly gifted and talented players (at Burnet), but for a lot of them came a sense of entitlement,” Thomas said. “They didn’t work as hard as they could have to be successful, and they ended up not being very good. I just wanted to make sure I never ended up like that.”
When arrived at SFA, he had a clear game plan in mind. He wasn’t going to talk much, but was going to study and give an all-out effort on the field and let his play do the talking.
After redshirting the 2011 season, Thomas caught the coaches’ attention once and for all in the spring of 2012. Mentored by Cordell Roberson, the Lumberjacks’ all-time leading receiver, Thomas shined throughout the practice schedule. That hard work and effort was rewarded with a scholarship, proving once again that it’s not always the best athletes that get the glory.
“It was a very special moment for me, one I’ll never forget,” Thomas recalls. “It was incredibly special for my family too, knowing that my education was covered and I could live my dream to play collegiate football. It was a validation for all the hard work I had put in.”
Since then, Thomas has been one of the most consistent receivers for the past three seasons for SFA. While never SFA’s number one receiving threat, Thomas has racked up over 1,800 yards, making him the top active FCS receiver in the nation in career yards who has never led his team in the category.
He etched his name into the SFA record book with a career night against Prairie View A&M in 2013, setting the Lumberjack single-game receiving record with 242 yards against the Panthers and becoming just the third SFA receiver to record a 200-yard game.
But his time at SFA hasn’t always been easy as Thomas has had to battle his share of tough injuries that put his playing career in jeopardy. After playing nearly the entire 2013 season with a separated shoulder, he suffered a foot injury during this past spring that nearly ended his football career.
But again, Thomas has never been one to go down without a fight.
“The injuries are hard because you put in so much work, then watch it all go away with an injury,” Thomas said. “But they have taught me a lot about staying focused and persevering to get back on the field. It’s taught me that everyday is precious and I never know when my last day to catch a pass might be. And not wanting to give that up, it’s motivated me to work even harder to get back on the field.”
It is an example that assistant head coach Demo Odems has relished having on the team and one he hopes younger players will take notice of.
“Aaron is all heart,” Odems said. “He gives everything he has on every rep, both in games and in practice. He’s a calming influence and I feel much more comfortable when he’s out there. He’s incredibly mature, a route technician and does the little things right, which is what sets him apart from the guys who may be faster or bigger than he is.”
One of the senior leaders for SFA this season, Thomas continues to lead by example. But when it comes to those players who are walk-ons now, he tries to encourage and mentor as much as he can. Because after all, he has been in their shoes.
“I try to encourage them and tell them to keep their head up and treat every rep with as much effort as you can,” said Thomas. “If you are willing to put in the time and effort, you will get noticed. And even if it doesn’t end in a scholarship, that’s okay. At least you can look back and say you worked as hard as you could and tried to be the best you could be.”
Thomas’ influence isn’t just felt on the field as he has also thrived as a leader and ambassador off. He has been an active member of his church group, taking mission trips to Mexico and Brazil. He has excelled in the classroom, earning All-SLC academic honors.
For his efforts, Thomas was named a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works team, awarded to those who best exemplify leadership both on and off the field.
But arguably his biggest accomplishment came this past summer when he married the former Addie Shipley, something he credits helping him continue to put everything into its proper perspective.
“I was always the older guy, but now I really feel like the old guy,” Thomas joked. “But she has been my biggest fan for a long time now and has continued to encourage and support me every step of the way. She’s been there for the ups and the downs, and it’s really great to have that new perspective on everything.”
And of course, it does come with an extra benefit.
“It’s pretty nice to have her meals everyday to come home to,” Thomas said. “It’s so much better than having to eat at the cafeteria.”
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