It took five long years and lots of changes, both on and off the field, for Thomas to emerge as one of the top trap blockers in the East. Always blessed with impressive athletic ability and quickness, the former walk-on began his Connecticut career as a defensive lineman, moving to the offensive during his red-shirt season in 2004.

Over the next two seasons, Thomas saw minimal playing time. He played mostly on special teams and at tight end as a junior, but then switched to offensive guard late in the year, as he also changed jerseys, from No. 99 to 55. He made a concerted effort to improve all areas of his game in 2007, wresting a starting job of right guard during his final campaign.

At Hill Regional Career Magnet High School, Thomas lettered three times in football, playing as a defensive lineman and a tight end. He recorded six sacks his junior year. The versatile athlete earned a total of 10 varsity letters, including three as a center in basketball and four more as a pitcher and first baseman in baseball. He was an All-Division baseball player and was also named the SEC's Player of the Week once as a senior in basketball. He was also a member of the National Honor Society.

Thomas arrived on Connecticut's campus as a walk-on in 2003, competing on the scout team as a defensive tackle before moving to guard the following season. He did not suit up in 2004, again performing on the scout team as a member of the offensive line. He served strictly as a wedge-buster on special teams in 2005, appearing in 11 contests, as he returned one kickoff for 2 yards vs. Louisville.

As a junior, Thomas continued to perform on special teams, in addition to seeing action as a tight end and offensive guard. He was arrested Oct. 22 and charged with misdemeanor assault and breach of peace after he was involved in a fight at a campus area fast food restaurant. He was suspended for the Rutgers and Pittsburgh games, but when he returned to action he took over left guard duties in the team's final two games vs. Cincinnati and Louisville.

Thomas again shifted positions, starting all 13 games at right guard in 2007. He earned All-Big East Conference first-team honors, despite being hampered a bit at midseason by a shoulder contusion. He registered 77 knockdowns and graded 82.8 percent for blocking consistency while producing eight touchdown-resulting blocks.

Positives: Has an athletic-looking, muscular upper body frame with a firm midsection, long arms and room to carry at least another 20 pounds of bulk without the added weight impacting his impressive timed speed … Naturally intelligent in the classroom, but needs to continue to work on improving his overall field alertness … A mauler with a mean streak on the field, he works to finish and generates good initial pop on contact when he keeps his hands working inside his frame … Inconsistent with his technique, but has the strong hand punch to shock and jolt a bull rusher … Shows better recovery ability in pass protection than when playing into the second level … Improved his base (wider now) and knee bend, as he shows the slide and adjustment skills to move side to side, despite having stiff hips … Can get on a defender quickly when he keeps his pads low and attacks with hands on the rise in attempts to explode off the snap … Has started to develop that "killer mentality" needed in his first step, as he has the upper body strength to get movement off the snap when he doesn't get too erect in his stance … Uses his bulk well in attempts to sustain … When he comes off the snap at a good pad level, he has good success in driving his man down and out of the play … Has good patience on the short pull, but balance issues (gets too narrow in his base) make him a bit of a liability on long runs … When he plays on his toes, he will fall off blocks, but when he stands flat-footed he is very capable of locking on and controlling the defender with his upper body strength … In pass protection, he made marked improvement as a senior, showing the ability to flash good lock-out strength, hip sink and slide … If he can continue to improve his hand quickness and punch, he could be a better fit as a center … Doesn't always move his feet and will lean into the opponent, but when he plays flat-footed, he has much better success adjusting to stunts (needs to improve footwork still) … Seemed to be playing with much better field vision late in his senior year and when he saw things happening in front of him, he was much better moving his feet to react and adjust (also was much more alert to picking up stunts) … Has learned the concept for taking proper angles when asked to block in space … Good contact seeker on the move, but must improve his balance … Shuffles his feet well and has a smooth kick slide to get back and protect the pocket … Like Washington's Randy Thomas, he plays bigger than his size indicates, becoming more confident in his athletic ability to become more dominant as a pass protector (works hard to protect the quarterback, especially from backside action).

Negatives: Has a very under-developed lower body frame and smaller-than-ideal hands … Despite good timed speed, he is inconsistent with his initial quickness, as he tends to get a bit narrow in his base, limiting his suddenness when attempting to get out in front on pulls and traps … Has a good straight-forward surge, but his balance is just adequate on the move, as he appears to be too stiff in his hips to change direction or redirect when working into the second level … Has improved his hand placement and punch, but still needs to work on improving shooting his hands quicker, as he sometimes lets his hands get outside the frame, leaving his chest exposed for defenders to get into his body … Must learn how to play with pain, as he is known to pull himself out of games with minor injuries rather than playing through … Not as alert to twists and games as most offensive guards, but has shown slight improvement in 2007 (still needs to play with netter awareness and vision) … Has worked hard to improve his adequate lower body strength, but he will get into a rhythm where he tries to compensate for his lower frame deficiencies by leaning into, lunging and attempting to out-muscle opponents with his upper body power … His ability to adjust in space is only adequate, as he possesses marginal flexibility to adjust at the second level … A stout pass-blocker, but struggles to redirect … Has a punch, but uses poor hand placement and lacks good hand quickness … Possesses only adequate foot quickness to slide-step and while he improved in 2007, he does not have the leg drive to create movement, especially in short-yardage situations … Better attacking defenders at the line of scrimmage, as he is slow to locate opponents on the move.

Compares To: RANDY THOMAS-Washington … Donald Thomas has surprisingly good timed speed for a player his size, but lacks the suddenness out of his stance or the quickness to get out in front on traps and pulls on a consistent basis. He worked hard at improving his hand punch and placement as a senior, but because of a lack of lower body strength he will lunge or lean into a defender in attempts to use his upper body power to compensate. He has moved around quite a bit since arriving on campus, failing to crack the starting lineup full-time until his senior season. He needs to stay on the field more, as he is the first to head to the sidelines with a minor injury. There is enough athletic ability to work with, but you have to question if 2007 was a fluke or if the light finally went on upstairs.

2007: Helped off the field with a shoulder contusion in the second quarter vs. Pittsburgh (9/22) … Left the Louisville game (10/19) in the first quarter, when he re-injured his shoulder.

2008: Suffered a knee sprain during practices for the Hula Bowl.

Campus: 4.91 in the 40-yard dash … 445-pound bench press … 570-pound squat … 310-pound power clean … 33 ¼-inch arm length … 9-inch hands … Right-handed … Wears contacts … 24/34 Wonderlic score.

Combine: 5.0 in the 40-yard dash … 1.72 10-yard dash … 2.89 20-yard dash … 4.78 20-yard shuttle … 7.45 three-cone drill … 24.5-inch vertical jump … 8'4" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 28 times.

Attended Hill Regional Career Magnet (New Haven, Ct.) High School, where he lettered three times in football, playing as a defensive lineman and a tight end … Recorded six sacks his junior year … The versatile athlete earned a total of 10 varsity letters, including three as a center in basketball and four more as a pitcher and first baseman in baseball … Was an All-Division baseball player and also named the SEC's Player of the Week once as a senior in basketball … Member of the National Honor Society.

Political Science major … Born Donald Grant Thomas on 9/25/85 … Resides in West Haven, Connecticut.