Jerell Thomas is part of a big football family. To him, he is simply another Thomas brother who carries on the tradition of playing football.
He is the second-youngest out of the four. His oldest brother, Kevin Thomas(Q-To), is a fifth-year senior starting cornerback for the USC Trojans; the middle child, Marcelo Thomas, formerly played for Moorpark College before nagging injuries forced him to end his football career; and his youngest brother is a senior at Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard, and plays varsity football for the Spartans.
Thomas, 19, was born in St. Louis, Missouri before moving to Oxnard in 2001, at the age of twelve. He actually did not start playing football competitively until the 8th grade, and believed playing backyard football with his older brothers helped him pick up the game quickly.
“Before that [playing football competitively] I played backyard football…I mean I got four brothers; we’ve always got a lot of people to play with,” he said. “A lot of competition.”
He also believed his older brothers acted as role models for him, and really taught him how to play the game right and develop as a player.
“I look up to them a lot…I mean they teach me a lot about the game, how to love it, respect it,” he said. “You pretty much have to thank God for everyday you have to play the game.”
Thomas, who plays running back and cornerback for the Raiders, went to Rio Mesa High School, following his older brother’s footsteps to stardom. By the time he was a sophomore, he was playing varsity, then being able to play with Marcelo, who is two years his senior.
During his Rio Mesa days, he developed his game, and was recruited by a couple Pac-10 schools and other Division I schools, including San Jose State, Fresno State, UCLA, the University of Washington, and the University of Arizona.
Thomas enjoyed his experiences playing at the Oxnard school, and believed the football program taught him teamwork among other things.
“I think the program taught me how to work hard, and have heart and play the game with heart,” he said.
In the end, however, he played his freshman year at Mt. San Antonio College, but moved back home to be closer to his family, and also for financial reasons, since junior colleges do not award athletic scholarships.
A kinesiology major, Thomas plans on transferring to a four-year school, to continue his academic career as well as his football career. With a year of eligibility left at Moorpark, he is undecided on whether he will be gone after this year, or if he will use his last year of eligibility. After all, he still needs to finish his general coursework.
Thomas’ favorite player is current Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, although he still idolizes his all-time favorite player: former NFL cornerback Deon Sanders.
“He [Sanders] had a lot of confidence on the field,” Thomas said. “And I like to bring that into my game because I believe it makes me play better.”
Thomas was influenced by Sanders, who he believed taught athletes how to have fun playing the game.
“He [Sanders] always had fun playing out there on the field,” Thomas said. “He showed the fans a good time.”
In his spare time, Thomas enjoys hanging out with friends, going to the movies, and playing video games, predominantly the Madden franchise, which he plays competitively online with other players.
Whether it’s at Rio Mesa Friday nights or at Moorpark or USC Saturday nights, you will always find Thomas’ parents at their games. The tight-knit group is very active during football season, and continues to support a family who has found a niche in the game of football.
“My parents, they’re real supportive,” he said. “We have a big family so during football season that’s all they do pretty much on the weekend…so it’s a football-filled weekend and they have a lot of fun watching us.”
