Former 5-star LB recruit Matthew Thomas’ first 3 years at Florida State University were unremarkable. A shoulder injury sidelined him for most of his freshman year. A violation of team rules cost him 6 games his sophomore year and, he was academically ineligible for the entire 2015 season. According to sport-reference.com, Thomas managed a mere 29 tackles during this time period.
Thomas used 2015 to get his head straight and priorities in order. When he returned to the playing field in 2016, Thomas led the Seminole defense with 77 tackles and 11 TFL. Last year, Thomas led the defense again by recording 85 tackles and 10 TFL.