Thomas Jefferson

Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Prospect Park, N.J.
Position:
Running Back
Height:
6-1
Weight:
225
High School:
Passaic Tech
Major:
Criminal Justice

AT DELAWARE
Fourth-year member of the squad as a junior running back • former Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year who teams with fellow junior Kareem Williams to give Delaware one of the most productive backfields in the CAA • All-CAA candidate • third-year regular who has played in 22 career games with 12 starts and carried 318 times for 1,590 yards (5.0 avg.) and 13 touchdowns • has also caught 18 passes for 153 yards • big, explosive running back with great speed • ranks No. 30 on all-time Delaware rushing list and needs just 410 yards to become only the 17th player to reach 2,000 yards • has surpassed the 100-yard rushing plateau five times in his career • one of the team's most charismatic players.

2016 SEASON
Enjoyed a solid sophomore season and finished as Delaware's No. 2 leading rusher • carried much of the load for the Blue Hens along with senior Jalen Randolph as leading rusher Wes Hills missed all or most of six games during the season • carried a team-high 140 times for 700 yards (5.0 avg.) and six touchdowns • 63.6 yards rushing per game ranked No. 8 in the CAA • named Blue Hen Touchdown Club Offensive Player of the Week four times (vs. Lafayette, James Madison, William & Mary, and Towson) • rushed for 70+ yards six times with a season-high 141 yards vs. Towson and 124 yards vs. Lafayette • also had 94 yards vs. William & Mary and 92 yards again James Madison • scored a touchdown in three of the first four games of the season and in three of the final four games of the campaign • caught career-high three passes for 45 yards vs. William & Mary • had three carries go for 30+ yards on the season • rushed for 30 yards in Blue-White Spring Game in May.

2015 SEASON
Took advantage of injuries to starters Hills and Randolph and proved to be one of the top running backs in the CAA • earned CAA Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, becoming first UD offensive player to be honored with that award since Andrew Pierce in 2010 • finished 14th in voting for the STATS FCS Freshman Player of the Year Award • selected to CFPA FCS National Freshman Performer of the Year Watch List • played in 11 games with seven starts and rushed for team-highs of 890 yards, 178 carries (5.0 avg.), and seven touchdowns • 890 rushing yards were the second most in a season by a UD freshman (Pierce ran for 1,655 in 2010) • ranked No. 6 in the CAA in rushing yards (890), No. 6 in rushing yards per game (80.9/46th in NCAA), No. 7 in yards per carry (5.0), No. 9 in rushing touchdowns (7), and No. 10 in all-purpose yards per game (86.7) • helped team rank No. 2 in the CAA and 17th in the NCAA in rushing offense (219.4 yards per game) • ranked third on the team in receiving with 10 catches for 64 yards (6.4 avg.) • surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark three times and went over 50 yards eight times • ran for a season-high 174 yards on 28 carries vs. William & Mary, ran for 163 yards on 22 carries and scored twice at FBS North Carolina, including a 72-yard jaunt on UD's first place from scrimmage, and added a 120-yard effort on 28 carries against James Madison • also rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns vs. New Hampshire • rushed for 337 yards in consecutive games vs. North Carolina and William & Mary, the ninth highest total in UD history • had five carries of 20+ yards during the season, including the 72-yarder vs. UNC (31st longest in UD history), 35 yards vs. Lafayette, and 23 yards vs. Villanova • earned ECAC (Eastern) Rookie of the Week vs. North Carolina, was CAA Rookie of the Week three times (vs. North Carolina, William & Mary, and New Hampshire), and was Blue Hen Touchdown Club Offensive Player of the Week three times (vs. North Carolina, Rhode Island, Albany) • named to STATS National Rookie of the Week Honor Roll vs. North Carolina • carried the U.S. Flag onto the field prior to James Madison game • rushed 10 times for 35 yards in the Blue-White Spring Game in May.

2014 SEASON
Did not see game action as team's No. 4 running back • retained freshman eligibility.

HIGH SCHOOL
Earned second team All-State, first team All-Passaic County, first team all-league, and first team All-North Jersey honors as a running back at Passaic Tech in 2013 • played for head coach Matt Demerast • team captain • led team to three-year mark of 20-11, including 6-4 showings in 2011 and 2012 and an 8-3 record in 2013 in which the team advanced to the first round of the state playoffs • ran for 1,918 yards on 234 attempts with 20 touchdowns in 2013 • rushed for over 100 yards 10 times on the season with a season-high 348 yards and two touchdowns against Hackensack and 252 yards and two touchdowns against Passaic • ran for 888 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior in 2012 • picked up 485 yards and nine touchdowns rushing in 2011 • member of the Environment Club, Astronomy Club, and History Club • attended same high school as former Blue Hen standout and current Carolina Panthers All-Pro safety Mike Adams.

PERSONAL
Thomas Matthew Jefferson • born on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 1995 • criminal justice major at Delaware • would like to pursue a career in the U.S. Secret Service • son of Thomas and Cathy Jefferson • youngest of five children • hobbies include running track and video games • cousin, Kory Blackwell, played in the NFL with the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns • took part in APPLE Conference, a national training symposium dedicated to substance abuse prevention and health promotion for student-athletes and athletics administrators (Jan., 2016 in Grapevine, Tex.).

CAREER STATISTICS

Year	G/S	Rushes	Yards	Avg	TD	Long
2016	11/5	140	700	5.0	6	45
2015	11/7	178	890	5.0	7	72
TOTALS	22/12	318	1,590	5.0	13	72

Year	G/S	Receptions	Yards	Avg.	TD	Long
2016	11/5	8	89	11.1	0	38
2015	11/7	10	64	6.4	0	28
TOTALS	22/12	18	153	8.5	0	38

CAREER HIGHS
Rushing Yards: 174 vs. William & Mary, 2015; 163 vs. North Carolina, 2015
Receptions: 3 vs. Rhode Island, 2015; vs. William & Mary, 2016
Receiving Yards: 45 vs. William & Mary, 2016