The Football Brainiacs

Noteworthy Numbers

2014-2016 – Samaje Perine

Player Profile

Position: Defensive Lineman

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 249

Class: Senior

Seasons at OU: 3

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Previous School: Cardinal Gibbons HS

The Path to Norman

R Mason Thomas, out of Florida, took a winding road to commit to the Sooners. Thomas committed to Iowa State in the summer of 2021 and stuck with the Cyclones right up until signing day. When the regime change occurred in Norman, Coach Venables and Coach Chavis immediately made Thomas a target. He visited Norman a month later and flipped to the Sooners on signing day, rounding out an impressive Edge / OLB class of Jonah La’ulu, Kevonte Henry, and Thomas for Coach Chavis.

Career so Far

R Mason Thomas started playing in his freshman season, his athleticism helping him make a big push for his playing time. Unfortunately, he was partially banged up throughout the year, limiting his playing time. Even so, he showed promise on the edge in the snaps he saw.

In 2023, the defensive end played in nine games, once again limited by injury. He continued to show his skills as a pass rusher in his time on the field.

2024 was a true breakout season for the EDGE player. RMT played in all 13 games with 11 starts on his way to leading the team in sacks,TFL, and QB hurries. He was an absolute force in the backfield and completely took over a few fourth quarters throughout the season. RMT earned an All-SEC Second Team selection on the season and certainly could have headed to the NFL, but decided to stay in Norman for one more season.

Stats

Years: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Career

Games Played: 13 | 9 | 10 | 32

Tackles: 23 | 9 | 7 | 39

TFL: 12.5 | 2.5 | 1 | 16

Sacks: 9 | 1 | 0.5 | 10.5

FF: 2 | 0 | 0 | 2

FR: 2 | 0 | 0 | 2

PBU: 1 | 1 | 0 | 2

Stats via Soonersports.com

Highlights

This Season

All eyes are on RMT this year, as evidenced by his pre-season Second-Team All SEC selection. He’ll be a clear leader of the EDGE room, defense, and team with all the experience he brings. RMT filled the stat sheet in 2024 and has a chance at ending his time in Norman ranking very highly in the all-time career sacks list. OU has themselves one of the best defensive ends in the country for 2025.