Tennessee defensive back Jakobe Thomas grew up in Starkville and was actually a Mississippi State fan. However, there’s not dual allegiances nowadays for the transfer from Middle Tennessee State.
Thomas used to attend State games, perhaps with a cowbell in hand, before moving to Tullahoma, Tenn., when he was about 10-years-old. The Starkville native used to root for former Bulldog quarterback Dak Prescott, who is now the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
“We would always make a trip home for homecoming at Mississippi State, but I was a Tennessee fan when I was 12,” Thomas said. “When I moved to Tennessee, it all flipped. So I didn’t enjoy going back.”
Now, Thomas flips for Tennessee – literally. Social media posts showed him doing a back flip before the Kentucky win on Saturday.
“Actually, I’ve been getting a lot of crap about not setting my tucks, so I’m going to have to redo that to show everyone that I can actually set a tuck,” Thomas said, grading his own gymnastics. “But, it wasn’t something that was planned out.”
Thomas reeled off the acrobatic maneuver at the behest of Tennessee receiver Dont’e Thornton. However, Thomas said he wasn’t at his best on Saturday. He should know. The junior said he’s been “flipping for football” since his senior year at Tullahoma (Tenn.) High School.
“One of my best friends ended up teaching me how to do it,” Thomas said. “I fell on my neck a couple of times, so I had to go through the hardships of it. But now it’s something that I just like to do.
“It’s just pretty fun, actually. I don’t think they know I do those. Honestly, I don’t think that they know. I’m sure Coach Banks would tell me to stop and chill out a little bit, but I guess it just becomes something I do now.”
Thomas should have some tutoring coming his way if he needs it. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound athlete is dating a cheerleader who can help Thomas get head over heels.
“She didn’t believe I could do one,” Thomas said. “But she did get on me about not setting my tuck, which everyone did. So it kind of hurt my feelings a little bit.”
Thomas seems to be a player that thrives on emotion. Now that he’s managed to become a Vol, which was a childhood dream, he’s most often the very first Tennessee player on the field for warm ups.
“I’ve just always dreamed of being here,” Thomas said. “So I just try to take advantage of every moment that I get to be in the stadium as a player, because I know my time here is probably short, just like everyone else’s.
“So just being able to embrace the environment and watch the stands fill up kind of helps me. Going to get my mood in and get my mojo going.”
If fans show up early enough, Thomas might just get them going. There’s nothing quite like a back-flip to garner some attention.
