Rhode Island transfer chooses CSU

Colorado State’s defense is even deeper now that Matt Thomas has decided to continue his career as a Ram.

The Rhode Island transfer announced via Twitter on Tuesday that he is committed to CSU, and that while he is appreciative of all the coaches that have shown interest in him, his recruitment is officially closed. 

A 6-foot-3, 271-pound defensive lineman, Thomas comes to Fort Collins having already appeared in 27 games for two other schools. 

Originally a Rutgers signee out of high school, Thomas appeared in five games between 2018-19 for the Big Ten program. It was at the University of Rhode Island where he really made a name for himself though.

Thomas played in 22 games for Rhode Island between 2020-22, recording 46 total tackles and 5.5 sacks during that time.

Following the conclusion of the 2022 season, after making nine starts over the last two years, Thomas announced that he would be entering the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining. Shortly after that he posted about receiving offers from Arkansas State, Campbell, CSU, Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, Samford, Troy and UT-Martin. 

It will be interesting to see what type of role Martin ultimately plays for CSU in 2023. But if he can produce even remotely as much as C.J. Onyechi was able to under Freddie Banks, with Mohamed Kamara coming back, along with the up-and-coming players that broke out last fall, there’s a good chance the Rams will have the best defensive line in the Mountain West.