Temple transfer LB Tra Thomas’ bond with defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot helped with his transition at NC State

By Noah Fleischman

There’s something poetic about NC State linebacker Tra Thomas’ Division I football journey. It began as a junior college product at Temple, playing under defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot for one season. And it will end with Eliot calling plays again, just this time with the Wolfpack. 

Thomas, who hails from Glen Burnie, Md., built a bond with Eliot while he was being recruited out of Independence (Kan.) Community College following the 2021 season. He dreamed of playing Division I football, and his relationship with Eliot made that a reality the following year in Philadelphia. 

And with Eliot as both his position coach and defensive coordinator at Temple, Thomas thrived. He posted 14 total tackles with 4 for a loss and 3 sacks in just four games before a season-ending injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. 

Then, Eliot took a job as the Philadelphia Eagles’ linebacker coach. That left Thomas at Temple with a new defensive coordinator, where he put up consistent totals (58 total tackles with 9.5 for a loss and 5 sacks), but it wasn’t at the same pace as he had been on in Eliot’s disruptive scheme. 

A chance to reunite in the system that Thomas thrived in? That was something he couldn’t pass up at NC State. 

“He’s a great coach, has taught me a lot,” Thomas said of Eliot after Tuesday’s spring practice. “He left after my first year there, and we linked back up [in] my last year. It’s a blessing to me because he knows a lot about the game. He’s been in the game a long time and has gotten a lot of people into the NFL that I know, so it’s been a blessing.”

Now reunited in Raleigh, it has been mutually beneficial for both coach and player. For Thomas, he’s with the coach that initially believed he could perform at the Division I level. For Eliot, it’s an opportunity to see Thomas’ growth continue in his three-down front that will get after the quarterback in a hurry.

“Tra and I have a tremendous relationship,” Eliot said. “I recruited him, I coached him. I even mentored him after I left and went to the Eagles. So him coming and us having that already, we were able to kind of get ahead, because we didn’t have to build that, like I had to with some of the other players.”

While their bond was already built before either one arrived at NC State, Thomas’ ability to speak Eliot’s football language has been helpful in the meeting rooms. The rest of the Wolfpack’s linebackers are trying to learn a new scheme, one that Thomas is already well-versed in. 

In turn, he has become a valuable resource for his teammates draw upon.

“I know most of the plays already, so I’m already ahead of some of the guys,” Thomas said with a grin. “Sometimes I’m naming the plays or the things we’re supposed to in the meetings [before they’re said].”

NC State coach Dave Doeren thought Thomas’ ability to “translate things for players” has made him a “really good addition” to the Wolfpack’s defense. 

While it’s been an easy transition for Thomas to make, he is hungry to end his collegiate career on a high note. And he believes that will be possible with Eliot calling the plays. 

“I’m ready. I can’t wait,” Thomas said. “He knows my skill set, and he knows what to do with me when I’m on the field. The defense that he calls, it’s meant for me to make a lot of plays. I’m ready. I’m ready to roll, man.”

There’s still just under five months until Thomas will be able to lace up his cleats and strap on his helmet to make his official NC State debut against East Carolina. But if that game were to happen tomorrow, he is more than ready to go. 

Plus, his motivation to beat the Pirates is through the roof after ECU handed Temple a 56-34 defeat last October. Like the rest of the Pack, which lost to the Pirates 26-21 in the Military Bowl, Thomas is eager to deliver the same feeling to ECU under the lights of Carter-Finley Stadium. 

“I’m ready to dominate in that game,” Thomas said. “I can’t wait for that first game. They’re going to feel me every play.”

And with Eliot calling the plays, Thomas is almost sure to have an immediate impact from the first snap of his lone season at NC State.