Matthew Thomas (linebacker)
Matthew Thomas is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football at Florida State. He signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
Early life
Matthew grew up the 4th oldest out of 8 kids in the Overtown Section of Miami-Dade County. Growing up very poor Thomas found his niche in football and quickly became a legend on the gridiron within the city of Miami, earning himself the nickname "Big 6".Thomas vowed to break the cycle of poverty in his family. Thomas attended Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, Florida. He was rated consensus five-star recruit coming out of high school and was ranked among the top prospects in his class. He committed to Florida State University to play college football on National Signing Day in 2013.College career
As a freshman at Florida State in 2013, Thomas played in four games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. He received a medical redshirt and did not play in that season's National Championship Game. Due to failing a drug test at the National Championship Game, Thomas was suspended for the first six games of the 2014 season. After serving his suspension, he returned to game action against Notre Dame on October 18, 2014. He went on to tally 26 tackles and 2.5 tackles-for-loss on the season. He also played in that season's Rose Bowl, registering three solo tackles and one assisted tackle.In 2015, Thomas was suspended for the entire season due to being academically ineligible. Thomas would bounce back in 2016 as the second leading tackler on the team. In that season's Orange Bowl, he made nine solo tackles and assisted on six tackles. In 2017, Thomas played in 11 of the team's 12 regular season games, and then decided not to play in the Independence Bowl. He later accepted an invitation to play in the 2018 East–West Shrine Game.