Christian Thomas had a change of heart and the University of Maine football team stands to benefit from it.
Right before the Jeff Cole Memorial Spring Football game, Thomas entered the NCAA transfer portal which meant the Black Bears were going to lose their third-leading tackler off last fall’s team and the top returning tackler.
But after weighing offers from other schools, the linebacker decided to return to UMaine.
“As a kid, I always wanted to compete at the highest level. So that was what I was going to try to do,” Thomas said. “But, at the end of the day, after talking to [head coach Jordan Stevens] and a lot of other coaches, the opportunity was right in front of me all along and I just didn’t see it.”
Thomas is a graduate student from Camden, N.J.
“I had other opportunities but I wanted to be back here,” Thomas said after the team’s first official practice on Friday.
He explained that he didn’t foresee another possessing the “brotherhood” that there was at UMaine.
“It would hurt to be without this team. We had a clean [training] test yesterday and I just had to take a moment and look around and enjoy the moment with my brothers,” said the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Thomas. “I realized yesterday, but even before that, if I hadn’t come back from the transfer portal, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy those moments.”
He said he missed being around the brotherhood.
The coaches and players are glad to have him back and don’t harbor any ill will about him entering the portal.
“We always want what’s best for the guy,” said senior wide receiver-kick returner Trevin Ewing. “If you want to go and do better, that’s on you. But if you come back, we’re going to welcome you with open arms.”
Ewing said he’s glad that Thomas is back and can help the team win games this year.
“He’s a great leader and very vocal, and we need that presence on the defensive side,” added Ewing.
Graduate student quarterback Carter Peevy, who transferred to UMaine from Mercer University in Georgia a year ago, said it has been as if Thomas never left.
“All he has done since he came back is work hard and be the same guy he always has been,” said Peevy. “We’re glad he’s back. He’s a great player. He plays with a lot of tenacity. He’s an older guy, too, so he has played a lot of ball.”
Thomas had a breakthrough season last fall, registering 63 tackles in eight games to rank third on the team.
He had entered the season with 30 tackles in 20 career games.
His 7.9 tackles per game was tops on the team. He had six tackles for lost yards and 1.5 sacks. He also had a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.
He had a career-high 12 tackles in the regular season finale against New Hampshire and had 10 tackles against Football Bowl Subdivision power Oklahoma. He had nine tackles against Elon and eight apiece against Colgate and Delaware.
Stevens said Thomas’ return was “seamless.”
He said Thomas was simply trying to navigate the world of college football.
“It was nothing personal. He and I worked through that and it’s exciting to have him back. It’s huge. He brings an intensity that is infectious among his teammates,” said Stevens. “He has the level of athleticism which enables him to make plays in the backfield, in the running game and up and down the field.”
“He plays fast and he plays physical,” said UMaine defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Umberto Di Meo. “He’s getting better at seeing his keys so he can play with his instincts and trust himself. He has good eye discipline at linebacker.”
Thomas wants to be “the best teammate I can be” and have an even better year this season.
He has worked on getting faster and more physical.
“And, as a linebacker, you have to communicate a lot,” said Thomas. “I want to be more of a three-dimensional player. I want to know my guys in front of me and behind me and what they have to do so I can help them out.”
The Black Bears will have a new defensive line in front of him as all four starters have left but Thomas really likes what he sees from the line.
“We’re definitely going to be young there but they have all shown the work ethic every day,” Thomas said. “They grind and grind and, as an older guy, I love to see that. I can trust them.”
UMaine opens the season at Liberty University on Aug. 30.
