Welcome to the eleventh annual Catamount Football "100 days to Football Kickoff Countdown".
During the countdown, we'll highlight the player whose number corresponds to that day in the countdown. To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff Saturday.
Since the official 2021 Catamount Football Roster has not yet been published, we'll use the 2021 Catamount Football Preseason Roster for jersey numbers until the new roster is posted, at which point we'll switch to the official roster for the remainder of the countdown.
It's now 18 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, September 4th, 2021, against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, in E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field, Cullowhee, NC.
#18 is not currently assigned to a player, so today we will highlight an assistant coach:
TITLE Assistant Coach / Defensive Line
A member of the Western Carolina football coaching staff from 2013-15, Dennis Thomas returned to Cullowhee as the defensive line coach in the spring of 2021. Thomas rejoins the Catamount staff after spending the three years as the defensive line coach and two the co-defensive coordinator at Gardner-Webb (2017-19) and a season at NCAA Division II Tusculum (2016).
Thomas had a quick impact both in developing a strong group in the trenches and on the recruiting trail in his three seasons on staff at Gardner-Webb. His work in recruiting spearheaded Gardner-Webb gaining significant ground with two highly-rated classes in both 2018 and 2019.
In Thomas’ first season at Gardner-Webb, nose guard Josh Ramseur emerged as a second-team All-Big South Conference performer. A rash of injuries forced Thomas to develop a very young group in 2018 and he excelled in that role, molding defensive end John Singleton into the 2018 Big South Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year and a HERO Sports Freshman All-America choice.
Prior to joining the Gardner-Webb coaching staff, Thomas helped develop Tusculum lineman Brandon Williams into an All-South Atlantic Conference performer in 2016. Williams led the SAC with 22.0 tackles for loss, which ranked among the NCAA Division II leaders as well. Williams finished with 78 tackles and four sacks, breaking the Tusculum school record for tackles for loss in a season.
Thomas served two seasons on the coaching staff at Western Carolina in his first stint in Cullowhee, joining the Catamounts before 2013 spring drills. Thomas coached WCU’s defensive line with a concentration on the defensive tackles while also serving as WCU’s pro scout liaison. The Catamounts finished with back-to-back, seven-win seasons in 2014 and 2015.
In 2014, Thomas helped rookie standout Derrick Davis earn Southern Conference All-Freshman honors. The following season in 2015, defensive tackle Helva Matungulu was invited to play in the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Collegiate Bowl, ultimately signing as an undrafted free agent with the NFL’s New York Jets.
Before WCU, Thomas spent four seasons on the University of South Carolina staff under head coach Steve Spurrier while pursuing a Master’s of Science degree in rehabilitation counseling. Thomas worked with the Gamecock defense, along with assistant defensive line coach Brad Lawing, on the development of the defensive front under defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward. He additionally aided in the recruitment of players in South Carolina while assisting in opponent scouting.
While in Columbia, USC made four consecutive bowl game appearances with Thomas working with the program. He assisted with the development of NFL players Jadeveon Clowney, Melvin Ingram, Cliff Matthews, Travian Robertson, Clifton Geathers, and Devin Taylor.
Thomas’s career includes coaching at Greenwood (S.C.) High School working with the defensive line on the gridiron as well as with the wrestling and track & field teams for five years. He was a part of football region championships at GHS from 2004-2008. Under his guidance, the Eagles boasted the state of South Carolina’s top-ranked defense in 2006 in winning the state championship, while finishing runner-up defensively in 2007 and 2008.
Thomas was a three-year letterman at South Carolina from 1997-2001, playing both offensive and defensive lines under Lou Holtz. He was a part of the Gamecocks’ 2001 Outback Bowl championship team, defeating Ohio State University, 24-7.
A 2001 graduate from South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology and a minor in physical education, Thomas began his coaching career at Calhoun Falls (S.C.) High School. He not only served as the defensive line coach, helping CFHS to the regional championship in 2002 but also the strength & conditioning coach and an assistant with the track & field program.
Thomas and his wife, Kyla, were married on June 14, 2015. The couple’s son, Klay Brayden Thomas, was born on March 7, 2020.
Thomas had a quick impact both in developing a strong group in the trenches and on the recruiting trail in his three seasons on staff at Gardner-Webb. His work in recruiting spearheaded Gardner-Webb gaining significant ground with two highly-rated classes in both 2018 and 2019.
In Thomas’ first season at Gardner-Webb, nose guard Josh Ramseur emerged as a second-team All-Big South Conference performer. A rash of injuries forced Thomas to develop a very young group in 2018 and he excelled in that role, molding defensive end John Singleton into the 2018 Big South Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year and a HERO Sports Freshman All-America choice.
Prior to joining the Gardner-Webb coaching staff, Thomas helped develop Tusculum lineman Brandon Williams into an All-South Atlantic Conference performer in 2016. Williams led the SAC with 22.0 tackles for loss, which ranked among the NCAA Division II leaders as well. Williams finished with 78 tackles and four sacks, breaking the Tusculum school record for tackles for loss in a season.
Thomas served two seasons on the coaching staff at Western Carolina in his first stint in Cullowhee, joining the Catamounts before 2013 spring drills. Thomas coached WCU’s defensive line with a concentration on the defensive tackles while also serving as WCU’s pro scout liaison. The Catamounts finished with back-to-back, seven-win seasons in 2014 and 2015.
In 2014, Thomas helped rookie standout Derrick Davis earn Southern Conference All-Freshman honors. The following season in 2015, defensive tackle Helva Matungulu was invited to play in the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Collegiate Bowl, ultimately signing as an undrafted free agent with the NFL’s New York Jets.
Before WCU, Thomas spent four seasons on the University of South Carolina staff under head coach Steve Spurrier while pursuing a Master’s of Science degree in rehabilitation counseling. Thomas worked with the Gamecock defense, along with assistant defensive line coach Brad Lawing, on the development of the defensive front under defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward. He additionally aided in the recruitment of players in South Carolina while assisting in opponent scouting.
While in Columbia, USC made four consecutive bowl game appearances with Thomas working with the program. He assisted with the development of NFL players Jadeveon Clowney, Melvin Ingram, Cliff Matthews, Travian Robertson, Clifton Geathers, and Devin Taylor.
Thomas’s career includes coaching at Greenwood (S.C.) High School working with the defensive line on the gridiron as well as with the wrestling and track & field teams for five years. He was a part of football region championships at GHS from 2004-2008. Under his guidance, the Eagles boasted the state of South Carolina’s top-ranked defense in 2006 in winning the state championship, while finishing runner-up defensively in 2007 and 2008.
Thomas was a three-year letterman at South Carolina from 1997-2001, playing both offensive and defensive lines under Lou Holtz. He was a part of the Gamecocks’ 2001 Outback Bowl championship team, defeating Ohio State University, 24-7.
A 2001 graduate from South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology and a minor in physical education, Thomas began his coaching career at Calhoun Falls (S.C.) High School. He not only served as the defensive line coach, helping CFHS to the regional championship in 2002 but also the strength & conditioning coach and an assistant with the track & field program.
Thomas and his wife, Kyla, were married on June 14, 2015. The couple’s son, Klay Brayden Thomas, was born on March 7, 2020.
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