Bryan Thomas Jr.

2025 Third-Team All-SEC (Coaches)
2025 Rex Enright Team Captain
2025 co-Steve Wadiak Team MVP
2025 co-Most Outstanding Senior
2025 co-Joe Morrison MVP – Defense
2025 Gamecock Toughness Award – Defense

Edge rusher who spent four years in the program… appeared in 46 games with 19 starts… posted 92 career tackles with 20.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks.

2025 (Senior)
Put together his best season as a Gamecock… recognized as a Rex Enright permanent team captain, a co-winner of the Steve Wadiak Team MVP Award, a co-winner of the Most Outstanding Senior Award and a co-winner of the Joe Morrison MVP – Defense Award… earned third-team All-SEC honors from the league’s 16 coaches… started all 12 games at Edge rusher… credited with 41 tackles including 11.0 tackles for loss and a team-high 7.0 sacks… also registered a team-high 14 quarterback hurries… tied for the team lead and tied for third in the SEC with three forced fumbles… turned in the best game of his career in the win over Kentucky… set career highs with seven tackles, 2.0 sacks and 2.0 tackles for loss, earning SEC co-Defensive Lineman of the Week accolades… logged five tackles against both Texas A&M and Coastal Carolina with a sack in each contest… earned the Gamecock Toughness Award for the defense, presented at the 2025 Garnet & Black Spring Game.

2024 (Junior)
Third-year Edge rusher… appeared in 12 games making one start… did not appear in the season opener, then saw action in each of the next 12 contests, starting the Citrus Bowl in place of Kyle Kennard who had opted out of the game… credited with 23 tackles including 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks… also recorded a pair of quarterback hurries and forced a fumble… had at least one tackle in every appearance… registered a career-high six tackles including the Gamecocks’ only sack in the Citrus Bowl against Illinois… notched 2.0 TFLs with a sack against Wofford and 1.5 TFLs with a sack and QB hurry at Vanderbilt… also had a solo sack at Oklahoma and a half-sack at Kentucky.

2023 (Sophomore)
Second year player who saw action in all 12 games, making six starts at the Edge position… credited with 22 tackles including a pair of tackles for loss and a sack… logged three quarterback hurries and forced a fumble… earned starts against North Carolina, Furman, Mississippi State, Missouri, Texas A&M and Jacksonville State… credited with a career-high four tackles against North Carolina and Georgia… logged a sack and forced his first career fumble at Texas A&M.

2022 (Freshman)
True freshman Edge rusher who saw action in 10 contests… did not appear in the first three games of the season, then saw action in each of the final 10 regular season contests… credited with six tackles and two quarterback hurries… notched three tackles each against South Carolina State and Florida.

HIGH SCHOOL
Graduated from Foundation Academy in Winter Garden, Fla. in 2022… the Lions went 7-4 in his senior season of 2021… logged 70 tackles with 25 tackles for loss and 11.0 sacks as a senior… forced three fumbles and recovered one… also carried the ball 23 times for 188 yards and two TDs… coached by Andre Walker.

PERSONAL
Bryan Tyjuan Thomas Jr. was born June 28, 2004 in Long Island, N.Y… is a public health major who graduated in December 2025… father, Bryan Thomas, was a first-round NFL Draft pick in 2002… spent 10 seasons with the New York Jets totaling 442 tackles and 33.5 sacks and was an assistant coach on the staff at Foundation.