Matthew Thomas (linebacker)
| No. 46 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: |
July 21, 1995 Fort Lauderdale, Florida | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 219 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: |
Booker T. Washington (Miami, Florida) | ||||||||
| College: | Florida State | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2018 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Matthew Thomas (born July 21, 1995) is an American football linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State.
Early years
Matthew grew up the 4th oldest out of 8 kids in the Overtown Section of Miami-Dade County. Growing up very poor Thomas found his niche in football and quickly became a legend on the gridiron within the city of Miami,earning himself the nickname "Big 6".Thomas vowed to break the backbone of poverty in his family. Thomas attended Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, Florida. He was rated consensus five-star recruit coming out of high school and was ranked among the top prospects in his class. He committed to Florida State University to play college football on National Signing Day in 2013.
College career
As a freshman at Florida State in 2013, Thomas played in four games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. He received a medical redshirt and did not play in that season's National Championship Game. Due to failing a drug test at the National Championship Game, Thomas was suspended for the first six games of the 2014 season.[1] After serving his suspension, he returned to game action against Notre Dame on October 18, 2014. He went on to tally 26 tackles and 2.5 tackles-for-loss on the season. He also played in that season's Rose Bowl, registering three solo tackles and one assisted tackle.[2]
In 2015, Thomas was suspended for the entire season due to being academically ineligible. Thomas would bounce back in 2016 as the second leading tackler on the team. In that season's Orange Bowl, he made nine solo tackles and assisted on six tackles.[3] In 2017, Thomas played in 11 of the team's 12 regular season games, and then decided not to play in the Independence Bowl.[4] He later accepted an invitation to play in the 2018 East–West Shrine Game.[5]
Professional career
Thomas signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent on April 28, 2018.[6]
References
- ↑ "Sports: For the Record". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. October 15, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Rose Bowl - Florida State vs Oregon Box Score". Sports Reference. January 1, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ↑ "Orange Bowl - Michigan vs Florida State Box Score". Sports Reference. December 30, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ↑ Weiler, Curt (December 21, 2017). "FSU senior linebacker Matthew Thomas will not play in Independence Bowl". ESPN. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
- ↑ Nee, Chris (December 26, 2017). "Matthew Thomas will participate in 2018 East-West Shrine Game". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ↑ "Steelers agree to terms with 13 rookie free agents". Steelers.com. April 28, 2018.