How Seahawks LB Drake Thomas went from Heritage High and NC State to Super Bowl
Playing in the Super Bowl was always an aspiration for linebacker Drake Thomas, but it was never the expectation. His high school goal was to play Division I football and be the best college player possible. He didn’t believe he had a shot in the NFL.
On Sunday, though, the former Heritage High School and N.C. State linebacker will step onto the field at Super Bowl LX as a starting defender for the Seattle Seahawks. Making it to the “The Big Game” is the icing on the cake. A cherry on top. A dream come true.
“It wasn’t the plan, it wasn’t expected,” Thomas told North Carolina reporters on Tuesday. “I was just very in the moment and just focused on whatever was in front of me at the time.”
In the Super Bowl, Thomas, who’s 25 and listed as 5-11 and 228 pounds, won’t be the only player on the field from North Carolina. He’ll be playing against fellow N.C. State alums Cory Durden, Garrett Bradbury and former UNC quarterback Drake Maye, who’s now the starting QB for the Patriots. Maye, who’s from Charlotte, has faced off against Thomas before, in 2022 when he was North Carolina’s starting QB and Thomas was a senior linebacker at N.C. State.
“It’s gonna be a lot of fun. He’s a great player,” Thomas said of Maye. “Obviously, we played in college. I know the N.C. State fans are really looking forward to watching it, so I’m excited for it, and, you know, excited for the challenge.”
The Seahawks and its fans will be cheering on Thomas when the team takes the field against the New England Patriots at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. But Thomas will also likely have Heritage High School, N.C. State and a large swath of North Carolina residents rooting for him in football’s biggest game.
“It’s super exciting for them and their families. These are childhood dreams,” N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren told The News & Observer on Monday. “All these guys grow up, and that’s the game: The Super Bowl. Super Bowl Sunday, for some families, is a holiday. Definitely in the Thomas family, that would be the case. … it’s tremendously rewarding for me to know that I was a part of helping him get there.”
Drake Thomas’ path to the Super Bowl
Doeren and Heritage High School football coach Wallace Clark knew when Thomas was in high school he had great potential.
Thomas’ toughness, contact speed, ability to remain in control and use of height for positive leverage impressed early. His work ethic, family sports background and football IQ didn’t hurt, either. He possesses the ability to diagnose plays, Doeren said, based on actions and predict what the opposing offense will try to do.
“I went to one of his high school games,” Doeren said. “When the game ended, I said to multiple coaches on our staff, ‘I don’t know how that guy’s going to make it through college. He’s the most physical guy I’ve ever seen.’ He was just drilling people.”
Thomas committed to N.C. State in 2018, and played alongside his older brother Thayer from 2019-22. Thayer, who was a wide receiver at N.C. State, is now playing for the St. Louis Battlehawks in the United Football League after stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos. Thomas’ dad, Trevor, was a football player at Marshall and helped the Thundering Herd win a national title in 1992.
Both coaches, Doeren and Clark, believed Thomas had great potential, but they admit it’s hard to predict which players will actually succeed both in college and in the NFL.
Doeren said he’s had players who should’ve — and were expected to — have long professional careers but didn’t, for whatever reason. There have also been players who have gone further in their careers than expected.
Making a 53-man roster depends on the opportunity and needs of a specific team. A player can sign with a franchise only to be a practice squad member. Or, a player’s health could impact their long-term contributions and whether they remain with an organization.
“It’s hard to predict, and those jobs don’t just get opened,” Doeren said. “Those guys aren’t trying to get retired, so the spots are pretty precious.”
But Thomas had the intangibles necessary to make it at the next level.
Thomas was a good teammate, hard worker and leader. That only grew during his college years.
“I’m pretty sure Coach Doeren and those guys on his staff saw the same work ethic, being a great teammate, consistently putting a lot of work into his craft and understanding what the next step was for him,” Clark said.
Dave Doeren’s watches Drake Thomas develop
One of Doeren’s favorite memories of Thomas was watching him develop into a leader following linebacker Isaiah Moore’s graduation.
Thomas was a two-time All-ACC selection and All-American during his four seasons at N.C. State. He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2023, before he was traded to the Seahawks. Thomas then played seven games in Seattle in 2023 before an ACL injury ended his rookie season. The Seahawks retained Thomas, though, and he returned last season, playing in 17 games.
This year, Thomas had a breakout season. Through another 17 games, he recorded 90 tackles, 45 solo, 3.5 sacks, eight passes defended and one interception. He also served as a team captain in multiple games.
Thomas has relied heavily on his faith, his family and the Seahawks organization in his first three years as a pro. He said Seattle reminds him of N.C. State; the way it has created a home away from home.
“It’s all been a blessing every step of the way, whether it was good or it was bad, I’m thankful for it,” Thomas said. “I’ve learned and I’ve grown from my journey so far in the NFL.”
From ‘there’s no way’ to the big stage
Thomas, who grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, might not have believed he’d be on an NFL roster, but there’s one person who believed in his future very early on.
N.C. State Director of Strength and Conditioning Dantonio Burnette — “Coach Thunder” — told Thomas that he and his brother, Thayer, would one day play in the league.
“In my head, I’m like, ‘There’s no way,’” Thomas said. “I’m 5-11, at the time, I was not very fast. I got faster. There’s a number of things. I don’t have the measurables the NFL only looks at. But, he believed in me. He planted that seed in my head and, always encouraged me to chase it after that.”
Former N.C. State star quarterback Philip Rivers, who spent 17 seasons in the NFL, most recently with the Colts, told Doeren several days ago that Thomas was on Indianapolis’ scouting report. The Colts thought they could pick on him.
“He’s a short, white linebacker,” Doeren said of Rivers’ description of Thomas during the Colts’ scouting process. “We got in the game and we were all like, ‘Holy (expletive), this guy’s really good.’”
It’s safe to say Thomas has arrived. The kid who went from playing flag football at age 3, under the coaching of his father, is now headed to the Super Bowl, and has earned the respect of NFL greats along the way.
“From a high school perspective, it’s a small percentage of young men that make it in the NFL, and not only the NFL, but make it to the big game of the Super Bowl,” Clark said. “It’s a small percentage that get that opportunity. It’s just a testimony to him, his family.”
NC will be well represented in the Super Bowl
North Carolina will be well represented at the Super Bowl on Sunday, the state’s footprint expanding past Thomas.
Durden, one of Thomas’ Wolfpack teammates in 2021 and 2022, is a defensive tackle for New England.
He recorded 43 tackles, including 10 solo, and 8.5 stuffs. He was listed alongside Thomas on Pro Football Focus’ list of unsung heroes in the Super Bowl.
Maye, the former UNC quarterback, will play opposite Thomas. He has thrown for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season with the Patriots. He has also run for 450 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
Patriots center Garrett Bradbury, who played at N.C. State from 2015-18, will be snapping the football to Maye. He has a 60.8 overall offensive grade and a 66.3 pass blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Bradbury, who started his college career as a tight end, ended it as a center and Rimington Trophy winner. Durden, who transferred from Florida State, was an all-conference selection in both years with the Wolfpack.
Including Thomas, Bradbury and Durden, 12 of Doeren’s N.C. State players have appeared in a Super Bowl, and the Wolfpack has been represented in 13 straight Super Bowls since 2013.
“It shows that we know what we’re doing here,” Doeren said. “We know how to recruit, we know how to develop. We know how to train guys to be ready for the next level.”
The state’s population growth has made it a hotbed for talent, as well.
“To see everybody having success at this level, it’s really cool to be a part of and watch from a different perspective, seeing other guys doing it,” Thomas said. “Every single week I go to a game and there’s some type of North Carolina tie. It’s really cool to have that and see the success that others are having around the league.”
‘The ultimate dream’
Every year, Doeren preaches the word “finish” — to the media and to his team. That’s his message to his three former players this weekend.
Have faith and rely on the things that led them to this point. Execute their game plans and do their best. They earned this opportunity, and they should embrace being on the biggest stage in football. A whole state is watching them with pride.
Doeren admits it’ll be hard to cheer for one team or the other, but he’s excited for his former players nonetheless.
“I’m proud of those guys. That’s why we do what we do at this level; to try to help guys reach their dreams,” Doeren said. “That is the ultimate dream. … I’m really looking forward to seeing those guys play against each other, and knowing I had a part in it means a lot.”
This story was originally published February 6, 2026 at 6:15 AM.