2019 Football Roster
Sep 27 (Sat)
12:00 AM
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Drake Thomas
- Class:
- Freshman
- Hometown:
- Wake Forest, N.C.
- High School:
- Heritage
- Height:
- 6-0
- Weight:
- 236
2022 SEASON:
• Ranked seventh in the ACC in tackles with 7.7 per game.
• ACC leader in tackles for loss in the overall and conference-only stats.
• A first-team All-ACC performer according to AP, he was second-team on the official league team.
• Selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game.
• Team leader with 101 tackles - he led the team with 14 in the win vs. Florida State, with eight vs. Virginia Tech and tied for the lead vs. Maryland with 11.
• Voted a team captain for 2022.
• Named ACC LB of the Week for the FSU game.
• Had a career-high three tackles for loss in back to back games vs. WF and BC.
• Had five quarterback pressures vs. Boston College.
• Had a monster game in the win at UNC, he registered 10 tackles as the Wolfpack held UNC to a season-low 351 yards of total offense.
• Tallied two tackles for loss for 10 yards, an eight-yard sack and had four QB hurries against the Heels and on one UNC drive in the 1st quarter, made the stop on 1st, 2nd and 3rd down to force a punt.
• Earned the team’s Bill Cowher Award for top linebacker and the Mario Williams Award for Defensive MVP for the second straight year.
• A third-team preseason All-American according to Athlon.
2021 SEASON:
• A first-team All-ACC performer on both the official league team and the AP squad.
• Also won first-team all-conference honors from PFF and Phil Steele, who also named him a fourth-team All-American.
• The Pack’s leading tackler in 2021, he ranked fourth in the ACC
• Played 763 snaps for the season - second-highest total on defense.
• Tallied a career-best 15 stops in the win over Louisville, he was named the ACC Linebacker of the Week.
• Also named the league’s LB of the Week following the win over Syracuse - he led the team in tackles and had a 38-yard INT return for a score.
• Has three interceptions for the season.
• Led the team in tackles in six games.
• Starting SLB in the first seven games, then moved to MLB after the injury to Isaiah Moore.
• Also took Moore’s role as defensive captain following that injury.
• Missed 2021 spring workouts after undergoing surgery for a torn pectoral muscle that he suffered during the season.
• Earned the team’s Bill Cowher Award for top linebacker and the Mario Williams Award for Defensive MVP.
2020 SEASON:
• Starting MLB in all 10 games he played, he ranked 30th among ACC defenders in tackles per game with 5.8, he finished the season ranked fifth for the Pack with 58 total stops.
• Ranked 17th in the league in tackles for loss - he had 9.5 for the season - the third-best mark on the team.
• Led the team with a dozen tackles in the opener - a career high.
• Tallied 10 stops in the win over Duke.
• Missed the Miami game with an injury and was not at 100% for the remainder of the season. He averaged 7.7 tackles per game in the six games before the inury and just 3.0 after.
• Missed the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl after undergoing surgery.
2019 SEASON:
• Started the Clemson, Louisville and Georgia Tech games at MLB.
• In for a career-high 71 snaps versus Clemson, he had a high of eight tackles vs. Wake Forest.
• Pulled down an interception at WVU.
• Early enrollee (January 2019).
HIGH SCHOOL:
• Played middle linebacker and running back at Heritage High School for coach Wallace Clark.
• Career: Finished as the school’s all-time leading tackler with 393, including 203 solo stops. Went over the 100-tackle mark as a senior, junior and sophomore. On offense, turned in 139 carries for 908 yards and 11 touchdowns. Scored 16 career TDs.
• Senior: Posted 123 tackles, averaging 10.3 a game. Also had three sacks and two interceptions. Blocked two kicks. On offense, rushed 50 times for 280 yards and seven touchdowns. Team fell in the first round of the NC 4A state playoffs.
• Junior: Posted 112 tackles and three INTs. Had 30 carries for 287 yards and three scores. Averaged 9.6 yards a rush.
• Sophomore: Credited with 113 tackles, 77 solo stops, and seven tackles for loss. Also tallied 57 rushes for 336 yards and a TD.
• Honors: Invited to play in the 2018 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game.
• Rankings: No. 19 recruit in North Carolina and the No. 22 inside linebacker nationally by Rivals.com. No. 25 recruit in North Carolina and the No. 29 inside linebacker nationally by 247Sports.com.
PERSONAL
• Brother of Wolfpack WR Thayer Thomas.
• Also played high school baseball, where he was a career .267 hitter.
• Major: Business administration.
THOMAS CAREER STATS
| Year | GP-GS | Ply | Ht | Ast | Tot | TFL | Sk | INT | QH | PBU |
| 2019 | 12-3 | 344 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 4-26 | 2.5-22 | 1-11 | 1 | 2 |
| 2020 | 10-10 | 554 | 26 | 32 | 58 | 9.5-34 | 3-18 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 12-12 | 753 | 48 | 52 | 100 | 13.5-32 | 6-20 | 3-38 | 9 | 1 |
| 2022 | 13-13 | 814 | 50 | 51 | 101 | 19.5-79 | 8-54 | 25 | 4 | |
| Totals | 47-38 | 2465 | 137 | 156 | 293 | 46.5-171 | 19.5-114 | 4-49 | 40 | 8 |