Earl Thomas (defensive back)

Earl Thomas

Thomas with the Seahawks in 2014
No. 29 Seattle Seahawks
Position:	Free safety
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1989-05-07) May 7, 1989 (age 27)
Place of birth:	Orange, Texas
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school:	Orange (TX) West Orange-Stark
College:	Texas
NFL Draft:	2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14
Career history
Seattle Seahawks (2010–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XLVIII) 5× Pro Bowl (2011–2015) 4× First-team All-Pro (2012–2015) Second-team All-Pro (2011) Consensus All-American (2009) First-team All-Big 12 (2009)
Career NFL statistics as of 2016
Total tackles: 554 Pass deflections: 56 Interceptions: 23 Forced fumbles: 9 Touchdowns: 2 Player stats at NFL.com

Earl Thomas III (born May 7, 1989) is an American football free safety for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seahawks in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft and would later assist with the team's first Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos. He played college football at Texas and received consensus All-American honors.

Thomas attended West Orange-Stark High School in Orange, Texas, where he played for the West Orange-Stark Mustangs high school football team. While there, he was an all-state selection and three-year starter at defensive back, running back and wide receiver. He recorded 112 career tackles with 11 interceptions, two kickoff return touchdowns and two punt return touchdowns, while also having 1,850 rushing yards and 2,140 receiving yards in his career.

Also a standout athlete, Thomas was on the school's track & field team, where he competed as a sprinter and jumper, and was a member of the 4 × 200 meters relay team that reached the state finals, at 1:27.92. He finished second in the long jump at the 2007 Region 3-3A Meet, with a personal-best mark of 7.14 meters.

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Thomas was ranked as the No. 12 athlete in 2007.

Thomas attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he played for coach Mack Brown's Texas Longhorns football team from 2007 to 2009. After redshirting his first year at Texas, Thomas started all 13 games at strong safety for the Longhorns in 2008, and ranked second on the team with 63 tackles and 17 pass breakups, the most ever by a Longhorn freshman. He also had two interceptions, four forced fumbles, and a blocked kick.