Tra Thomas: "Everything Has Been Great"

NC State linebacker Tra Thomas met with the media to discuss how he's performed during spring practice, the defensive philosophy, and much more.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview with Thomas.

Acclimated to playing here? 
It's been good. Everything's been great. Writing the playbook, being around the new teammates, the coaches. Everybody's been welcoming and letting me come in as myself and not trying to change anything about me. So, I've been feeling great about it. 
 

How helpful is it to have Coach Eliot with you here? 

It's been very helpful because he was the one that recruited me out ofJUCO. I went to Independence Community College before I went to Temple. So, he was the one that recruited me. Came my freshman year with him. Great coach. Taught me a lot. He left right after my first year there. We linked back up my last year. So, it's a blessing to me because he knows a lot about the game. He's been in the game for a long time. He got a lot of people into the NFL that I know of. So, yeah, it's been a blessing. 
 

Did you hit him up for Eagles tickets? 

No, not, not, not. 
 

What was that like though? 

I mean, obviously, you loved him as a coach, but then he goes to the Eagles. And now you get to have him as a coach again. When he went to the Eagles, he was more busy. So, I didn't talk to him as much as I did when he was coaching at Temple with me. So, yeah, it's kind of different. We didn't communicate a lot around that time. But we were still loved there.  We were still tight.
 

Did it feel like you guys picked up where you left off once you came here? 

Oh, yeah, definitely. Yeah, because we always had a connection from recruiting. When he was recruiting me from JUCO and everything, like, our connection was strong. We built it. So, yeah. 
 

What's it been like kind of adapting to a new system with Coach Eliot at the helm? 

To me, it's been easy because he's running the same defense he ran when he was at Temple. So, like, I know, like, most of the plays already. So, I'm already, like, ahead of some of the guys.  Sometimes I'll be naming some of the, like, plays and things we're supposed to do inside the meeting before some of the guys even know. 
 

Do you find yourself being a coach in a lot of ways to the younger guys? 

Yes, yes, because a lot of the older guys in my position ask me a lot of questions. And I want to be able to give them the right answer to every question they ask. 
 

Any younger linebackers that have caught your eye so far? 

Sterling. 
 

You like Sterling? 

Yeah, Sterling's a good linebacker. Right now he's out right now, but he's got a lot of talent ahead of him. He's just a baby right now, so he's just got a lot to learn. But he's the main one that's always asking me questions day in and day out.

You were pretty productive in that year you were with Coach Eliot. How much does that expect you kind of going into this year, knowing what you can do in his system? 
I'm ready, like, I can't wait because he knows my skill set and he knows what to do with me when I'm on the field. So, like, the plays that he calls and things like that, it's meant for me to make a lot of plays. So, I'm ready to roll, man. 

What can you tell me about the linebackers? What do you like about this group? 

Fast, passionate. They love the game, come into practice day in, day out, 100 percent. Smart guys. And this is like a brotherhood inside that linebacker group. Everybody is welcoming each other. We play for each other, so, yeah. 
 

Is there a lot of positions up for grabs, or is everybody kind of – do you have a chance to make a move to the first starting spot? 

I don't have an answer to that right now. 
 

But how's the competition?   

The competition is good. Okay. I can say that. The competition is really good right now. We're probably going to bring some more in going out this spring. But, yeah, it's been good. 
 

You have your own history with East Carolina. Didn't you chuckle a little bit when you saw that you'd be opening up against East Carolina? 

I can't wait to play. Like, that's good. 
 

But what are your reasons to want to play them? 

Because we lost to them at Temple last year, a game that we should have lost that really made me mad and upset. So, I'm ready to dominate in that game. I can't wait for that first game. They're going to feel it in every play. 
 

When you make the move and you change, how long does it take when you're wearing that uniform, getting acclimated, before it starts to become your new normal, if that makes any sense? 

Say that one more time. 
 

Your new normal. Like, okay, this isn't strange to me anymore, NC State. Now it's normal to me. How long does it take for NC State to become normal to you, this situation?

It took me – I'm going to say my second week here. It didn't take that long because all the guys welcomed me here. They made me feel like I was already here from the jump. So, it didn't take long at all, yeah. 

Did you miss the snow? 

No. No, I did not miss that snow up here. I mean, did it get really – Huh? 
 

Does it get – how cold and snowy does it get in Philly? 

It gets really cold. Springtime, spring ball, it's mostly snowing, not spring ball. So, I'm very blessed right now.