Brent Thomas knows North Carolina Central well. His parents, Larry and Betty Thomas, graduated from NCCU. His receivers coach in high-school was an Eagle. Heck, he even used to get his hair cut at NCCU’s student union.
But when it came time to choose a college, the Durham native wasn’t on the Eagles radar and they weren’t on his.
“They didn’t recruit me heavily,” said Thomas, who graduated from Durham’s Riverside High in 2004. “I got questionnaires from Central but I really wasn’t interested in going there.”
Thomas, a redshirt junior, is one of six Winston-Salem State players who will face their hometown team this Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium. Thomas’ high school teammate, defensive back Nate Biggs, linebackers Juan Corders and Mario Dawson and defensive backs Demetrius Rivers and Jared Mitchell also grew up in Durham.
The Rams and the Eagles will square off for the first time since the 2005 season when the Eagles beat the Rams on their way to the first of consecutive CIAA titles. The all-time series is tied at 20 games apiece.
Thomas says that while watching the Eagles and the Rams play each other during their days as CIAA rivals that he began thinking about coming to WSSU.
“I liked the atmosphere,” Thomas said. “I remember going to a football game when I was younger when they had played Central and I was just thinking about coming to Winston-Salem State for a long time.”
Since redshirting his freshman year, Thomas’ playing time and production have increased every year. His first season he appeared in one game and caught one pass. Last year he played in nine and caught three passes. This year he was named a starter and has responded with 10 catches for 137 yards and one touchdown.
Rams head coach Kermit Blount said what the biggest thing Thomas provides is maturity, on and off the football field.
“He brings maturity to what we’re doing in the receiver position. Brent has made some plays this year,” Blount said.
“To see where he is now, from where he’s come from to where I think he’s going, I’m really proud of him. You don’t have to worry about him academically in the classroom and you don’t have to worry about him doing anything socially to embarrass the program. Those are the kind of players you want in your program.”
Thomas said that his confidence has increased with time at WSSU.
“Since I came here, I’ve gotten more confident,” Thomas said. “When I got here my mind was blown, I was like ‘Wow, this is a big difference from high school’ and I just wasn’t as confident as I was in high school but over the years my confidence has grown dramatically.”
Thomas acknowledged that playing against NCCU is special for him.
“This is the game I’m gonna hear about the most,” Thomas said. “Central is the game that when I go back home, everyone’s gonna ask me about. It’s a big thing.”