Gridiron Feature: Kam Thomas

9/26/2026 4:46:00 PM

Ten seconds. That's all it took for Kam Thomas to reel in the heave from EJ Colson Jr., for the 83-yard score during UTEP's 51-10 rout of Texas Southern and announce to his teammates, his coaches and most importantly, himself, that he was back. But to reach that point, Thomas put in months of work behind the scenes after sustaining a season-ending injury just one game into the 2025 season.

There were times, understandably, when the recovery wasn't going as quickly as Thomas would have hoped. Moments of self-doubt tried to creep in, but his teammates and coaches refused to let him go too far down that path.

"This past year has been hard mentally, especially dealing with the injury," Thomas said. "I had my trials and tribulations through the whole thing. But I can say my teammates, like Jaden Smith, really pushed me to come back. My coach has done a really good job. They still have that belief and faith in me of, like, being the player that I know I can be. So that helped me in a big way, honestly."

As the season approached, Thomas wanted to do more than his body would allow. That, in turn, was wreaking havoc in his mind, but head coach Scotty Walden helped him through it.

"In fall camp, I didn't (have my confidence). I wasn't fully back as fast as I thought I was going to be," Thomas said. "I couldn't practice when my knee was just hurting like that bad. But coach did a good job of slowly easing me into it. I'm just now starting to get my confidence back, get my swagger back, really."

That was evident in the home-opening drubbing of the FCS Tigers, with Thomas setting the tone for the offense on UTEP's first play from scrimmage. The Miners were pinned deep, starting the drive at their own 17-yard line. TSU brought heavy pressure into the face of Colson, who fired off his back foot. Thomas tracked it in the air, caught it at the Tigers' 45-yard line and then raced uncontested into the end zone.

"I can say now that I feel 100% for sure, especially after the Texas Southern game," Thomas said. "It was fun, the emotions that you guys saw on the TD. I caught the ball, and I held the ball out from the 20-yard line to the end zone. I got in trouble for that, but it was just like the raw emotions of the whole process."

His coaches were thrilled with the touchdown, given what it encompassed.

"I can't even speak on how hard that kid has worked to get back to where he's at," Walden said. "For that to happen the first play of the game (was special). You could feel all week, he was fiending for a big play. Like, he's just been ready for it."

With his emotions running high, Thomas was a bit careless with the ball by holding it out to the side from the 20-yard line in. That brought a reprimand, and Thomas knows he won't be so careless again.

"I got a mouthful of words, unpleasant words, from Coach Walden and then Coach Sampson," Thomas said. "When I looked back and saw he wasn't catching me, so that's when I showboated. I wish I could take it back. So never again, but we're good."

Walden wasn't thrilled with Thomas finishing the play with how he did, but he did understand why it occurred.

"I just wanted (him) to tuck the ball all the way through the goal line. He scared the life out of me doing that," Walden said. "But again, it's a little emotional right there. You can feel the emotion in his eyes when that happened."

Thomas was flying on the play, clocking in at 22 MPH, which is the fastest he's ever gone. But beforehand, it was moving much slower, especially in his mind.

"From my point of view, everything slowed down in a sense," Thomas said. "I didn't hear no crowd, noises. I didn't hear nothing. It was like, everything was just moving in slow motion before the play. It's like I seen it before it happened."

Thomas, who is a student of the game, had a payoff with that for his first touchdown as a Miner in the Sun Bowl.

"The corner was pressed, and the safety was low. On film, they were showing it a lot," Thomas said. "So, in my head I don't know if EJ sees it, but they were in quarters (cover four) and I (decided) to run it like a true big post, which is how you beat quarters. When the ball was snapped, I gave him a good release, I pushed vertical and I broke off."

The pre-snap read and at the line adjustment paid dividends with Thomas having beaten his man off the line, putting him in position for a huge play.

"When I look and see him release the ball, I'm like oh my god, there's the ball in the air," Thomas said. "So, I just keep running and I see the ball coming down and it just stuck to my hand. There was nothing but green grass ahead."

At that point, the gravity of the situation hit him too as it had been 652 days between touchdowns for the playmaker. He had last hit paydirt on a highlight-reel punt return for a score in the win at I-10 rival NM State in the 2024 season finale.

"When I see the ball in my hand, I had to realize, oh snap, I caught it, because I haven't felt that moment in so long," Thomas said. "But this was the time I had been waiting for. Right there was the, 'I'm back moment.' It translated through a great week of practice, and I think I'm in a great headspace."

Being back on the field was already a win for Thomas, but to be able to do so and make an impact the way he did was icing on top of the cake. It's one he knows wouldn't have been possible without the unwavering support of his brothers in the locker room.

"To be able to finally get to break through and finally be back on the field with your brothers and where you belong, it's very joyful because you work so hard and you don't see the progress you make," Thomas said. "Your peers and stuff do, but it's hard to accept it when you don't see it yourself. My teammates kept saying 'hey bro, you look good.' I still had those self-doubts, but I kept leaning on my teammates."

Walden also was able to step back and appreciate the moment and Thomas as a whole.

"Just seeing his heart, his passion, how hard he plays and how hard he rehabbed to get back to where he was," Walden said. "I can't speak enough about his mentality. You saw how fast he ran. You would never know that he had multiple lower body injuries in his career."

In addition to his rehabbing off the field, the amount of work that Colson and Thomas put in together to develop that chemistry and continuity played a big role in the duo teaming up for the touchdown.

"We have done a really good job because I was very limited in the summer," Thomas said. "There are times we'll miss a throw or something and I know we can get it back. We have that connection of knowing how I play, how I see things. That's why we watch film together, so we can be on the same page. He's like a coach (in film)."

Thomas will be back in the Sun Bowl Saturday against Oregon State. He will have yet another opportunity to demonstrate to himself and to others everything that he brings to the table.

"He's just a warrior, he's a competitor," Walden said. "That's why he's a captain. I couldn't be more proud of that young man."

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