ARLINGTON, Texas
In a way, Jakobe Thomas has always had a connection to the Miami Hurricanes even before stepping foot on campus in Coral Gables last summer.
Just look at the backplate of the safety’s uniform for confirmation.
Thomas, who is in the midst of a breakout senior season in his lone year with Miami, has written the name of the late Sean Taylor there ever since his freshman season at Middle Tennessee State. Taylor — who was a star with the Hurricanes, an eventual first-round pick and two-time Pro Bowler before being shot and killed on Nov. 27, 2007, during a home invasion and botched burglary at 24 years old — is Thomas’ favorite player. He plays safety like Taylor, embraces the physical nature of the position like Taylor and wants to pay homage to a top player at a position he feels is underrated across football.
“And then when I got the chance to come to Miami,” Thomas said Monday, “it kind of just became a part of the culture of who I am as a person when I get on the field. I try to imitate as much as him as I can while being my own person.”
He’s found a way to strike that balance, and it has Miami overall and Thomas himself in a bit of a full-circle moment.
Taylor was a freshman when Miami won its most recent national championship in the 2001 season. Thomas is doing his part to elevate Miami back to the standard of its glory days. He has been a spark on a revamped defense that has helped the No. 10 Hurricanes (11-2) reach the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff, where a matchup with the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1) looms on Wednesday in the Cotton Bowl. Kickoff for the game from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Thomas takes pride in what he and the Hurricanes have accomplished thus far and the manner in which they have done it. Miami rebounded from a stretch of two losses in three weeks to win its final four games and clinch a playoff spot. UM then won its opening-round playoff game against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies to get to the quarterfinals.
It’s all massive steps in the right direction, but Thomas is still striving for more as he finishes out his lone season at Miami.
“For me personally, I just come in every day and do what I’m supposed to do,” Thomas said, “but to be a part of this great university and all the history, it’s just an honor to be in the position that I’m in.”
Miami Hurricanes defensive back Jakobe Thomas (8) returns an interception in the second half of an NCAA football game against the Syracuse Orange at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Saturday, November 8, 2025. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ [email protected]
And he put himself in that position. He played his first three seasons at Middle Tennessee State before transferring to Tennessee for the 2024 season. He was used sparingly while with the Volunteers and sought a new school for his final season. Miami, which was in the midst of overhauling its defense, stuck out because “they needed DBs.”
“I did my homework on coach [Mario] Cristobal,” Thomas said at UM’s media day ahead of fall camp. “Culture is a big thing for me. Coach Cristobal is adamant on how you do anything is how you do everything. He’s a great coach and pushes us each day to be the best version of ourselves.
“When we came down on a visit,” Thomas continued, “he told my mom when I left Miami that I would be the best football player, best man I could possibly be. I didn’t want to take the chance anywhere else. I didn’t want the spot to close up.”
Thomas is well on his way. He enters the Cotton Bowl ranked second on the Hurricanes with 58 tackles and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He has four tackles for loss, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Pro Football Focus gives him an overall defense grade of 84.3 this season — by far the best rating of his career and tied for 11th among 205 safeties this season with at least 600 snaps (and just ahead of Ohio State All-American Caleb Downs, who has an 84.0 rating).
“Jakobe’s awesome,” Hurricanes safeties coach Will Harris said. “He wants to leave a legacy, and why not do it on this stage, with this opportunity we have right now? That was kind of my pitching point to him. ‘Man, we can go do some special things together,’ and he’s taking that on.”
Added defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman: “You had a guy that had been in different spots before, and he’s learned from them. When he came in, he took the playbook and he learned very quickly there. He played well with his teammates, understanding how to work with ZP [Zaquan Patterson], how to work with the corners, how to work with the linebackers. That’s a guy that constantly helps elevate the defense every week with his physical style of play, how fast he plays. He communicates better every single week. And I think as the season’s going on, you’ve seen him play faster and faster in different situations, sometimes in different positions.”
Miami Hurricanes defensive back Jakobe Thomas, reacts after sacking Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway PHOTO BY AL DIAZ [email protected]
There’s still more to accomplish, though. Still more to prove. Still more to showcase.
The Hurricanes are back on the national stage for the first time in decades, a goal that Thomas hoped to help accomplish in his short amount of time here.
He gets inspiration every time he walks into Miami’s practice facility and sees all the names of legends honored throughout the building. All-Americans. Eventual Hall of Famers.
And, of course, the name of his favorite player who left an impact both on Thomas and the school where he is finishing his college career.
“You just see all the names, and you realize this is a great place to be,” Thomas said. “I just try to carry on what they started. It feels good to be in the position that we’re in, but we’ve got a lot of work.”
