Jai'Den Thomas

Jai'Den Thomas
Thomas in 2023
No. 9  UNLV Rebels
PositionRunning back
ClassJunior
Personal information
Born (2005-03-24) March 24, 2005[1]
Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolWestlake (Atlanta, Georgia)
College
  • UNLV (2023–present)
Awards and highlights
Stats at ESPN

Jai'Den Elijah Thomas (born March 24, 2005)[1] is an American college football running back for the UNLV Rebels.

College career

After attending Westlake High School in Atlanta, Georgia, Thomas committed to play college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. As a true freshman, he rushed for 503 yards and 12 touchdowns.[2] The following season, Thomas recorded 918 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, helping lead the Rebels to their first bowl victory in 24 seasons.[3][4] He entered the 2025 season with high expectations from the media.[5] In the 2025 season opener against Idaho State, Thomas ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns in a 38–31 victory.[6]

College statistics
Season Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP Att Yards Avg TD Rec Yards Avg TD
2023 UNLV 13 104 503 4.7 12 7 62 8.9 0
2024 UNLV 14 164 918 5.6 7 11 91 8.3 1
2025 UNLV 9 103 780 7.6 8 30 173 5.8 1
Career 36 375 2,201 5.9 27 48 326 6.8 2

References

  1. ^ a b @Jaiden_Thomas9 (March 24, 2024). "Blessed to see another day🙏🏾 #19" (Tweet). Retrieved August 27, 2025 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "UNLV Jet Thomas lands on outstanding college football running back list". FOX5 Vegas. August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  3. ^ Terranella, Slone (February 11, 2025). "UNLV Running Back Jai'Den Thomas Stays After Historic Bowl Win". 96.3 KKLZ. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  4. ^ Grimala, Mike (January 31, 2025). "Jet set: UNLV's Thomas happy to return and ready to star for new coach". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  5. ^ Graney, Ed (August 13, 2025). "'Jet' ready to take off at UNLV, become Mountain West's top running back". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  6. ^ AP (August 23, 2025). "Jai'Den Thomas scores 3 TDs and UNLV holds off Idaho State 38-31 in Dan Mullen's debut as coach". Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved August 24, 2025.