OXFORD — Union College football coach John Luttrell asked a hotel staff member to turn off all the televisions. He wanted to protect his player.

It was March 25, 2021, a Friday, and Union, an NAIA team from Barbourville, Kentucky, had just finished a bus trip to North Carolina for a road game. During the bus ride, a freshman running back Domonique Thomas learned that severe storms were hitting her hometown of Ohatchee in eastern Alabama, where her mother, sister and grandparents lived. Thomas tried to call home. No response.

Later, he received a call that his mother, Ebonique, and grandparents had been killed. A tornado had reduced their house to rubble. Ebonique was protecting Thomas’ seventh-grade sister, Ontario Braxton, in the bathtub.

“I had our team chaplain, AD and myself, go to a hotel room and sit and talk with (Thomas), just tried to give him some comfort ” Luttrell said. “I asked the hotel to turn off the news because it was all over the news. They had the televisions and I didn’t want him to see any more.”

Thomas, now a Ole Miss football the senior running back, is positioned for his biggest opportunity this season. At first, running back Henry Parrish was injured Ole MademoiselleAfter winning last week against Arkansas, Thomas took on most of the workload. He had a game-high 10 carries and ran for 41 yards. No. 12 Rebels host #2 Georgia in a huge game on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, ABC).

“He did a good job when he got there,” the coach said Lane Kiffin said. “He’s a very consistent player. We’ll need that position to play well against a team where most people don’t have much success playing with the ball against them.”

Prior to the Arkansas game, Thomas had not touched the ball in SEC play. With Parrish listed as out on the injury report For the Georgia game, Thomas is expected to factor into the upcoming top-15 matchup alongside Ulysses Bentley.

“I just feel like no moment is too big, honestly,” Thomas said.

How Domonique Thomas developed her work ethic

Football has always been part of Thomas’ life. His first words were “hut cabin” and he began his training in the third year.

Luttrell saw Thomas training alone on the training field, with cones and an agility ladder.

“The hardest-working kid I’ve ever coached,” Luttrell said. “He’s constantly doing things on his own, working on his own. Great teammate. Great on the field, great off the field.”

A phrase from motivational speaker Eric Thomas has been steadfast in the life of Domonique Thomas.

“When I was in eighth grade, I heard this video from Eric Thomas,” Domonique Thomas said. “He said, ‘When you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe, you will succeed.’ Since then, I have had this state of mind.”

Thomas averaged 5.4 yards per carry as a freshman at Union and was a reliable pass-catching option. He had 812 total yards in six games and was named the Mid-South Conference’s Appalachian Division Offensive Freshman of the Year. His downhill running style paired well with his soft hands.

Luttrell said Thomas would have been an All-American if he had stayed at the NAIA level.

“I remember one game in particular where I listened to the headset and said to our offensive coordinator, ‘Look, I don’t care what you call, as long as Domonique has the ball in his hands.’ , Luttrell said.

Why Domonique Thomas has big goals beyond Ole Miss

Thomas played one season at Union before moving to Clemson in 2022. It was a simple calculation and an amicable split.

“At the end of the semester, he told me, ‘Hey Coach, I have this goal. I want to try to play at a big level and I want to make it to the NFL if I can to take care of my little sister.’ ‘” Luttrell said.

Thomas started as a backup for Clemson but eventually earned a scholarship. He transferred to Georgia State before the 2024 season but did not play a game there.

“On the third day of spring ball, the (Georgia State) head coach decided to leave,” Thomas said. “We brought in a new team. I saw this as an opportunity to redo my decision regarding the portal.”

Thomas estimates 19 schools contacted him after he left Georgia State, and he committed to Ole Miss after a visit to campus. He said running backs coach Kevin Smith told him to prepare for games with the mindset of a starter. That’s exactly what Thomas is doing, but he’ll be showing up for more than just himself against Georgia.

“(My sister Ontarriah) was the only one who survived in the house,” Thomas said. “I just knew I had to be strong for her. I still do. I try to set an example for her and do everything I can to take care of her.”

Sam Hutchens takes over Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] or contact him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

This article was originally published on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ahead of Georgia, Ole Miss football’s Domonique Thomas is ready for now