JT #39

Jacob Thomas

Safety · James Madison

A four-year James Madison captain and two-time All-Sun Belt safety who signed with Minnesota as one of the draft's most hyped undrafted free agents.

Jacob Thomas joins the Vikings after anchoring a James Madison defense that won the program's first Sun Belt Conference title and reached the College Football Playoff in 2025. A four-year Dukes starter and team captain, he signed with Minnesota as an undrafted free agent and was singled out by national analysts as one of the top UDFA prospects in the Vikings' 2026 rookie class.

★ Two-time Second Team All-Sun Belt, James Madison

★ Team captain, James Madison's 2025 Sun Belt championship and CFP team

★ 199 career tackles and five interceptions over four seasons

Path to the league

Thomas was a four-year member of the James Madison program and started 39 of his 50 career games at safety, developing into a captain of the Dukes' historic 2025 squad. He went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent.

Career highlights

A two-time Second Team All-Sun Belt defensive back, Thomas finished his college career with 199 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, five interceptions, 16 pass breakups and a forced fumble. Analysts noted he fits the profile Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores looks for in safeties: experience, ball skills and physicality in the box.

2025 season recap

Thomas capped his college career in 2025 as a captain of a James Madison defense that won the program's first Sun Belt Conference title and earned a College Football Playoff berth. His production and leadership that season helped him land with Minnesota as an undrafted free agent, with Bleacher Report naming him the most exciting UDFA in the Vikings' 2026 rookie class.