His success continued at Portland State where he was a key substitute for three years and started at power forward as a senior. While helping his team reach the NCAA tournament for the only two times in its history, he amassed 520 rebounds and 62 blocks in his career. He left with school records for games played (121) and victories (78).
Julius Thomas has emulated his fatherin finding success in multiple sports.
File photo by David Steutel
"I couldn't wait to play football again," Thomas said of his fifth year at Portland State. "It was something I had looked forward to (since enrollment). After spring practice, I was convinced that football was what I wanted to do (for the future).
"My passion was revived. It was crazy how long it hadn't changed. I couldn't even go back to sleep. I was so excited about football. I was like a kid in a candy store."
But there was so much to learn.
"The hardest part was the verbiage," he explained. "I had to always remind them to break down the basics. Hip flexibility was different. Blocking, definitely, was very new, too. I struggled at first, but I was confident I would be able to pick it up and be a good blocker. Good hands? That was never an issue for me."
Tight ends coach Steve Cooper told MaxPreps, "At first he was pretty raw. He worked so hard and you could tell he was a pretty good athlete. He was natural catching the ball. Blocking – we worked on that every day. After we finished spring ball, he became a leader. He got better every day. He watched almost as much film as our coaches."
Even though Portland State was a running team, Thomas caught 29 passes for 453 yards and two touchdowns. He was rewarded with a first-team selection in the Big Sky Conference. His five-yard touchdown catch and overall outstanding effort during the East-West Shrine Game proved to professional scouts that he could compete with the top players in his graduating class.
Though the NFL players are locked out during the current labor dispute, Thomas is hopeful of following a similar trail blazed by Antonio Gates, who played basketball at Kent State University before a long, successful career with the San Diego Chargers.
He stressed, "I'm anxious to get going, to learn and figure out what my role will be. This is obviously out of my control. In the meantime I will continue to work hard, keep getting stronger and learn the game. I'll be lifting a lot and trying to keep my cardio up. I've got to be ready the first time I hit the door."
Cooper, who knows him best, says, "The reason that he got drafted so high is that he is so cerebral. He's a great athlete, a great football player and he's only going to overachieve."
