#20

DQ Thomas

Senior linebacker for Middle Tennessee. 2021: 87 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 5 sacks.

LB · Middle Tennessee · Sr. · #20

6′2″ · 218 lb · Oxford, MS

CFB Index 91 · #11 of 578 LBsHigh confidenceAll-ConferenceMiddle Tennessee 2021 alumnus

Recruiting

3★

S recruit

No. 1759 nationally · Signed with Middle Tennessee

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 linebacker for Middle Tennessee. 2021: 87 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 5 sacks.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Middle Tennessee in 2017.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Middle Tennessee, 298 tackles — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

2017

Signed with Middle Tennessee3-star out of Oxford

202111 games

All-Conference USAsecond

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#1759 national

CFB

College

Middle Tennessee

2018–2021

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

3 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-CONFERENCE USA · 2ND TEAM

All-Conference USA 2nd team (2021)

Coaching lineage · 2018–2021

1 coach

2018–2021

Rick Stockstill

Middle Tennessee

Played his entire career under Rick Stockstill.

2021 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

4 seasons under Rick Stockstill — 22-26 over that span.

2018Middle Tennessee8-6HC: Rick Stockstill · Balanced

2019Middle Tennessee4-8HC: Rick Stockstill · Balanced

2020Middle Tennessee3-6HC: Rick Stockstill · Balanced

2021Middle Tennessee7-6HC: Rick Stockstill · Balanced, fast tempo

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

91All-America level #11 of 578?

High confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: tackles for loss (99th percentile). Strength: qb hurries (97th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Tackles for loss#24 / 2743 · 99th pct

16.0

QB hurries#67 / 2743 · 97th pct

Solo tackles#91 / 2743 · 97th pct

Tackles#125 / 2743 · 95th pct

Sacks#151 / 2743 · 94th pct

5.0

Passes defended#481 / 2743 · 78th pct

Interceptions#126 / 824 · 73rd pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2021 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home5g	7.2	1.3	0.4	0.4
Road6g	7.2	1.3	0.5	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-75g	6.8	0.8	0.4	0.0
Weeks 8+6g	7.5	1.8	0.5	0.3

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Derek Mason

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2021

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

91 · #11 of 578 LBs

Three-star recruit. Now #11 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2021	Middle Tennessee	87	53	16.0	5.0	3	2	--
2020	Middle Tennessee	67	29	7.0	3.5	--	--	--
2019	Middle Tennessee	74	47	12.0	2.0	1	--	--
2018	Middle Tennessee	70	43	14.5	8.0	3	--	--
Career		298	172	49.5	18.5	7	2	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 5 · 2021

W 34–28

vs Marshall

1 TFL · 1 SACKS · 1 SOLO

Edged out Marshall at home in a shootout.

With K. Ulbrich — 43 AVG · 4 IN 20 · 74 LONG · J. Lane — 1 rec · 34 yds · 1 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2021 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 50-15vs Monmouth	9	4	2.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	L 14-35@ Virginia Tech	11	10	1.0	1.0	—	0	Season-high 11 tackles
Wk 4	L 39-42@ Charlotte	4	1	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	W 34-28vs Marshall	3	1	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 6	L 13-41@ Liberty	7	4	0.0	0.0	1	0
Wk 8	W 44-13@ UConn	6	4	2.5	0.0	—	0	2.5 TFL
Wk 9	W 35-10vs Southern Miss	10	8	2.0	0.0	1	0
Wk 10	L 21-48@ Western Kentucky	5	5	2.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 11	W 50-10vs Florida International	4	3	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 12	L 17-24vs Old Dominion	10	4	0.5	0.0	—	2
Wk 13	W 27-17@ Florida Atlantic	10	6	2.5	2.0	—	0	2 sacks
Total		79	50	14.5	5.0	2	2

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology