LEVELING UP Bison DE Brayden Thomas continues to ascend

By Jeff Kolpack The Forum Fargo

The 2016 football roster at the University of Mary in Bismarck listed Brayden Thomas at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds. He had 25 tackles in 11 games with two quarterback hurries and zero quarterback sacks.

There was nothing in that season that screamed Division I prospect.

A year earlier, at Bismarck High, he was a talented player for the Demons who went to the North Dakota State summer camp. The Bison took a look, but passed on any kind of offer, including a walk-on opportunity.

There was nothing with BHS that screamed Division I prospect. Now?

“It’s like he’s a completely different person,” said Mark Gibson, Thomas’ coach at Bismarck High. “He’s like twice the size that he was. He had no idea how good he could be and that’s what we tried to convey to him.”

It was conveyed to him at Minnesota State Mankato, where Thomas transferred after one year at Mary.

“The team was shifty a little bit,” Thomas said. “I felt like it was in my best interest to push myself and challenge myself at a different university.”

It was further conveyed to him when he transferred to North Dakota State for the last two seasons.

The 6-3, 260-pound Thomas has developed into one of the top defensive ends in Division I FCS and is a major reason the Bison are hosting James Madison Friday night in the FCS semifinals at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome. Thomas finished runner-up in the voting for Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year and one reason that probably prevented him from more honors is the free-wheeling rotation of Bison defensive linemen.

Thomas has 13.5 tackles for lost yardage and 9 quarterback sacks despite playing the equivalent of a half a game. Moreover, he missed two games because of an elbow injury suffered at the University of North Dakota.

“Obviously when you get more reps you think you’ll make more plays,” Thomas said. “But when it all comes down to it, getting to the semifinals and winning a national championship and why teams like Mankato and NDSU are so successful is because they rotate up front and keep guys fresh. I wouldn’t go away from that … so I love that we do that.”

A couple years ago, Thomas stopped by Bismarck High. Not knowing it was him, Gibson from a distance saw a “mountain of a man” and the head coach thought it was possibly a transfer.

“I’m running, and I don’t sprint much, and then I see it’s him,” Gibson said. “I couldn’t believe how he transformed.”

Gibson knows a good defensive end. He coached former Bison defensive end Stanley Jones in high school. Jones was a regular in the Bison rotation for three years ending in 2018 and left during a championship run.

It took until getting to

Mankato and NDSU, but Thomas is also on the same path.

“I see a guy who is on a mission,” Gibson said. “Almost a mission to prove people wrong, a mission to say I belong here. I’m sure he was told that league was out of his capabilities but I also think he might be looking at beyond.”

NDSU head coach Matt Entz believes Thomas will get an NFL shot of some sort because of how hard he plays. Thomas plans on training somewhere after the season and will most likely get his best chance at NDSU’s Pro Day in March.

“I’m sure glad 98 is with us now,” Entz said, referring to Thomas’ jersey number. “Just bigger, stronger and I think he was well coached in his earlier days. Minnesota State Mankato is a good Division II program and one that has a ton of postseason success. He’s played for national championships. He continued to work at his craft and skills all along.”

When Thomas arrived in Mankato in 2017, he was around some good players like defensive end Evan Perrizo, a first team Division II All-American who almost made the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster.

“The guys and coaches there pushed me to be the player I am today,” Thomas said.

Mankato reached the quarterfinals in 2017, the semifinals in 2018 and fell to West Florida in the 2019 championship game.

For Thomas, in his quest to continue to ascend levels of football to the NFL, it was time to try the Division I route. And when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down athletics, there was uncertainty to Division II football.

“It’s the biggest reason I came here, to push myself as an individual and prove that I can do it at this level,” he said. “I think Division II gets a big knock, there are a lot of guys that could play at this level. As much as I love Mankato and wanted to stay there, it was time to show NFL teams what I can do against people of a higher level.”