Earl Thomas Biography

Earl Thomas III, born on May 7, 1989, is an American former professional football player who played as a safety in the National Football League. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns and earned consensus All-American honors, participating in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. Thomas attended West Orange-Stark High School in Orange, Texas, where he played for the West Orange-Stark Mustangs and also competed in basketball, baseball, and track and field. He was a sprinter and jumper on the school's track & field team, and he was part of the 4 × 200 meters relay team that recorded a time of 1:27.92 at the state finals. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Thomas was ranked as the No. 12 athlete in the 2007 recruiting class. He played for the University of Texas at Austin under coach Mack Brown from 2007 to 2009. After redshirting his first year, Thomas started all 13 games at strong safety in 2008, recording 63 combined tackles and 17 pass breakups, a record for a Longhorn freshman.