After his lone season with Tennessee football in 2025, running back Star Thomas is off to begin his professional career. Following a stint in the Tennessee Titans’ rookie minicamp in the NFL, he has signed a deal in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The CFL season is currently underway, making his signing a midyear addition. The Roughriders are currently 2-0 with the regular season running through October. They are currently led in rushing by AJ Ouellette, who has posted 153 yards and five touchdowns on 33 carries.
Thomas just completed his lone season with the Vols, where he exhausted his eligibility. During the year, he was typically the second-string back behind DeSean Bishop. He posted 596 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 104 attempts. He also caught 11 passes for 116 yards and two scores.
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Prior to UT, Thomas played the 2024 season at Duke. There, he was the starting back for the final 10 games, posting 871 yards on 213 carries with seven touchdowns. He earned the additional year of eligibility to use at Tennessee due to the junior college ruling that was sparked by Diego Pavia. That rule also gave eligibility to Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar and tight end Miles Kitselman.
Before playing for Duke, Thomas spent a pair of seasons at New Mexico State, alongside Pavia. In 2023, he was named to the All-Conference USA Second-Team. Prior to that, he played a pair of junior college seasons at Coffeyville CC.
Thomas is from Homer, Louisiana, where he played for Homer High School. There, he was a four-year all-conference selection as a running back, earning all-state honors as a junior and senior. He also played basketball.
This year, Tennessee returns its top back, Bishop, who ran for over 1,000 yards a year ago. He’ll be joined by second-year players Daune Morris and Justin Baker and incoming Tulane transfer Javin Gordon as options in the backfield.
