Gophers to Know: No. 23 RB TJ Thomas

The 2026 season is just under two months away for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, with the regular season set to kick off Thursday, September 3, at Huntington Bank Stadium against the Eastern Illinois Panthers. As we continue to prepare for the season, Gophers Nation will be taking a look at one Gopher a day over the next several weeks — players who are emerging or rising talents to know heading into the fall. These could be true freshmen making their first impact, transfers looking to find their footing in Minneapolis, or returning players ready to take the next step. Not every player on the roster will be highlighted. We won’t be covering the obvious names like Anthony Smith, Darius Taylor, or Drake Lindsey — but instead the names that could define Minnesota’s depth this fall. No. 23 – RB TJ Thomas JUNIOR (YEAR 3 OF 5)5-foot-8 | 190-poundsThomasville, GA HOW HE GOT HERE Thomas comes to the Twin Cities after two seasons with Elon in 2024 and 2025. In his two seasons, he played in 17 games, which included 16 starts, totaling 180 carries for 972 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also had 28 receptions for 232 yards and a touchdown as well as 28 kickoff returns for 686 total yards. Thomas last season at Elon had 91 carries for 384 yards and six touchdowns. The smaller, compact Thomas had 18 missed tackles and averaged 3.37 yards per after contact. He also had 12 runs of 10+ yards, which included a half dozen going for over 15 yards, resulting in 37.5% of all his total yardage last season. 2026 OUTLOOK FOR TJ THOMAS Thomas joins a crowded Minnesota backfield. Darius Taylor is the foregone starter for the Golden Gophers barring injury, but after him it’s quite a wide-open competition. A.J. Turner is coming off a season-ending injury last September. Redshirt freshman Grant Washington could be a factor in the competition as well. Ryan Estrada and Zeke Bates are a pair of true freshman running backs with a chance to make an impact. That’s not to mention fellow redshirt freshmen Xavier Ford and Jaron Thomas and true freshman Niko Castillo. Nonetheless, T.J. Thomas should be able to find a role in the fall even if it’s not as the primary backup to Darius Taylor. Expected role: Rotational running back, potential special teams contributor Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like our page on Facebook Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Talk about it inside Inside Gophers Nation