Former Georgia defensive back seeking 5th year following injunction, per report
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive back JaCorey Thomas is reportedly planning a return to college football, according to a report from CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer on Saturday.
Thomas is looking to take advantage of a Friday ruling out of the state of Colorado, which provides blanket eligibility for members of the 2022 class who exhausted their eligibility this past season. The ruling takes advantage of the NCAA’s recent adoption of an age-based eligibility model, which declares a player can play 5 seasons across a 5-year period.
Several basketball players, such as Mark Mitchell, AJ Storr and others, have already used this ruling to their advantage and intend to play this season. Now, it looks like Thomas is attempting to do the same.
As you can see above, Thomas played in 47 career games and saw the most action in 2025, by far his best season in college football. Thomas started in 2022 and mostly played a reserve role. Across his first 3 seasons in Athens, Thomas totaled 17 tackles and 2 pass deflections. In 2025, Thomas collected 47 tackles, 26 solo, with 1 sack.
Before Friday’s ruling, Thomas’ college career was ended by a targeting call in the Sugar Bowl against Ole Miss.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
