Tennessee defensive tackle Omari Thomas was never a star or an All-SEC defender during his time in Knoxville. But over the course of four years, Thomas played a lot of good football on the defensive line for Tennessee.
After his five-year collegiate career came to an end earlier this month, Thomas penned his farewell for Tennessee football while officially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft on Monday afternoon.
“First and foremost, I would like to thank God for blessing me and giving me the ability to be in this position,’ Thomas wrote. “Next, I would like to say thank you to my family for all of the support and sacrifices on this journey from little league football to now. Words can not describe the amount of appreciation and love I have for y’all!
“To my teammates, I appreciate having the opportunity to come into work with y’all everyday and enjoying every piece of it. The relationships I’ve built will last forever from this brotherhood. I would also like to thank every coach who has helped me reach this point and a special thank you to the staff at Tennessee.”
“Five years ago, I made a decision to attend Tennessee to be a part if the change and to be a part of something bigger than myself. I will say, it has truly paid off, and I appreciate everyone for pushing me and continuing to help me grow as a person, on and off the field. I appreciate all of Vol Nation and their support every Saturday, home or away. Y’all are always a big part of keeping us going. Rocky Top will always be home to me.”
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Thomas came to Tennessee as part of its 2020 recruiting class. The Memphis native committed to Tennessee over Auburn and stuck it out in Knoxville after the Vols fired Jeremy Pruitt and the NCAA investigation began.
The defensive tackle was a key cog of Tennessee’s defense over the last four years under Tim Banks and defensive line coach Rodney Garner. Thomas combined to play 1,554 snaps over the last five years and played over 320 snaps in each of the last four seasons.
Over the course of his Tennessee career, Thomas totaled 116 tackles, five sacks, a forced fumble and 12 pass deflections. Thomas’ forced fumble was a big one too. He stripped Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson in the red zone during the second half of the Vols’ 2022 win over the Gators.
Thomas best statistical season was in 2022 when he totaled 27 tackles, two sacks and four pass deflections. However, Thomas biggest strength was his consistency over the course of his collegiate career.
