When LSU sophomore cornerback Dwayne Thomas started his career in 2012, success was expected of him.
Thomas, a New Orleans native out of O. Perry Walker High School, was the No. 14 cornerback in the country according to Rivals.com, finishing his senior season with 67 tackles, 14 pass breakups and three interceptions.
His career started off just as planned, seeing the field in three of the Tigers’ first four games. But before Thomas could record an official stat for LSU, his career took a threatening halt.
Thomas went down with a sports hernia injury early in 2012 that left him almost immobilized.
“It was on both sides of my hip,” Thomas said. “I mean, I was barely able to walk. I was barely able to move.”
The injury was a blow to Thomas, who was halted in the midst of trying to develop a name for himself on an LSU secondary with several options.
Junior safety Jalen Mills — Thomas’ roommate during their freshman season — said watching his teammate deal with the injury was a tough experience for both of them.
“I was so mad at myself for being injured,” Thomas said. “I just wanted to work harder. It was a big setback.”
Thomas, although medically redshirted, was on the travel team for the Tigers his freshman year, enabling him to watch and learn the many different defensive schemes and assignments in LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis’ playbook. Thomas treated the trips as business, learning not only the plays, but also how to stay mentally stable and concentrated throughout the duration of a game.
Thomas said he spent countless hours studying the playbook and watching extra films, studying each player, watching how they played their position and what role they played on the defensive unit.
While still treating his injury, Thomas would go to the weight room and do upper-body workouts to stay on top of his game while missing time in regular practice.
“I mean, Dwayne used to go in the weight room and just blow it up,” Mills said. “Because of a lower body injury that’s all he really could do, so Dwayne got a lot stronger than all of us. It kind of pushed us more as a secondary because you don’t want somebody to be stronger than you are or faster than you, so it was just giving us competition in the weight room.”
Throughout his rehab stint, Thomas developed a great relationship with his coaching staff, who made him feel welcomed throughout his difficult start.
“[The coaches] told me to just get used to being here because you’re going to be a great player,” Thomas said. “They cared for me and made me feel like it’s home. It was a good experience.”
Former LSU player Tyrann Mathieu took Thomas under his wing before being kicked off the team in 2012, teaching Thomas the intricacies of being a collegiate football player.
“I was up under [Mathieu] a lot,” Thomas said. “He was playing a lot of positions and we were from the same area, so I wanted to learn a lot about what he was doing and how he was taking it in from being a football player and a student.”
Thomas said he learned from Mathieu that the game is never over, which helped Thomas keep his head up while he tried to revive his career.
LSU kicked off the 2013 season against TCU in the Cowboys Classic — Thomas’ first action since suffering his season- ending injury a year ago.
“I was nervous, but I was so excited,” Thomas said. “I was nervous because was anxious to get out there, but I was also nervous because I didn’t want to mess up either.”
Thomas finished the game with one tackle and continued to improve as the season went along. He saw action in 11 of 13 games in 2013, primarily in LSU’s nickel-and-dime packages and contributed 10 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles.
“I was so happy being on the field with those guys after my freshman year dropped,” Thomas said. “Being through camp and all the tough things we go through it was just exciting for me to be out there.”
While Thomas never expected his injury, he now views it as a blessing in disguise.
“Now going into this year I know the entire defense, I’m comfortable where I’m at, I know where my help is … It’s becoming fun now.”
Jack Chascin can be reached on Twitter @chascin_TDR.