Former Indiana Tight End Ian Thomas is Taking It All In at the Senior Bowl

Ian Thomas avoids a defender Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle

Written By Rylie Kyhn

Senior tight end Ian Thomas is preparing for a big game this week as he gets ready to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl. The game which features the nations best senior collegiate football players and top NFL draft prospects, is set to take place this Saturday, January 27th at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama at 2:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network.

Thomas, the starting tight end for Indiana this season, began his college career at Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York before transferring to IU for his junior and senior years. He had a fantastic career at junior college, being named as an all-conference selection. He played in eight games during the 2015 season and tallied 23 catches for 433 yards and three touchdowns. He was rated the number two junior college tight end prospect by ESPN before beginning his career at Indiana. When asked about how his experience at the junior college level affected him, Thomas said his time at Nassau helped prepare him for the bigger stage at IU. 

“It prepared me because I was playing against a bunch of people who had something to prove and people who were already going to big schools, but they just had one problem, that was probably grades which is why they went to JUCO. So me playing against those guys who were supposed to be playing on the bigger stage, prepared me to play against players at this level.” 

His time at IU was short, but after an impressive senior season, Thomas was selected to showcase his ability in the 2018 Senior Bowl. He finished the season with 25 receptions for 376 yards, averaging 15 yards per catch, good for second among Big Ten tight ends. He scored five receiving touchdowns for the Hoosiers, and ranked first on the team in average yards per reception. 

Thomas is the third Hoosier in as many years to be selected to play in the Senior Bowl. Previous bowl selections have been Dan Feeney, current offensive lineman for the San Diego Chargers (2017), and Jason Spriggs (2016), current offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers. The Senior Bowl is one of the most prestigious bowl games and one of the most important for NFL prospects. 

When asked about his reaction to finding out he had been selected to play in the bowl Thomas said, “I didn’t really know what to think at first because I don’t really think I did that well with my injury this season, but I guess my athleticism showed and they wanted to see more in the Senior Bowl game. So I was really excited about that.” 

On getting the opportunity to represent Indiana Football in a big game like this Thomas said, “It’s really important to me especially with how Indiana has been pretty slept on throughout the years, me coming here to showcase what Indiana has taught me. It’s a great opportunity for both myself and Indiana.” 

When asked about what the experience at the Senior Bowl has been like so far he said the days have been long. “We get up around 8 am and we go to bed around midnight. Most days go to meetings and practice and then meeting with NFL teams and sometimes in between we go to an event. We met with Morgan Stanley company to go over information about how to prepare for the future, meeting with officials to go over rules in the NFL and even stuff about social media.” 

Thomas said meeting with the group from Morgan Stanley was really interesting and a good non-football related event to be able to attend. He said it was a good learning experience and it opened his eyes to a bunch of things. “You learn that people are going to come up that you haven’t talked to in awhile just because they know you are an NFL prospect. I think that really helped a lot of guys here because you know it’s coming but you don’t really know what to expect.”

An advantage of being selected to play in the Senior Bowl game is the opportunity to be seen by and interact with NFL representatives. Thomas said the process has been kind of stressful but that, “it’s always a blessing to be in this position and actually talk to these guys.” One of those interactions this week has been with Wes Welker, former NFL wide receiver and current Texans offensive and special teams assistant coach, who is working with the tight ends in the bowl. 

Thomas said, “he has always been an idol of mine growing up so it’s been a pleasure meeting him. He has been helping us and coaching us throughout the process with what he’s experienced, and it’s always helpful to have someone that’s had an impact in the league help you.” 

Thomas will be one of three tight ends playing on the South Team and after all of the hard work it took to get where he is, it will be an honor to watch him finish his college football career in the Senior Bowl game tomorrow.

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