Long Island University

Dwayne Thomas joined the LIU football team for the 2023 as defensive backs coach.

In his first season with the Sharks, he mentored three All-NEC selections.

Jaiden Roe led the conference in pass breakups with 13, Antwan Spencer finished the season with 85 tackles and Kam Canterbury forced three interceptions.

The Sharks finished the season ranked third in the league in pass defense efficiency, allowing opponents to complete only 54.9 percent of their passes. The 180 yards per game against via pass ranked 22nd in the nation.
 
Thomas spent the 2022 season as a defensive analyst at Duke University, working primarily with the secondary.

While working at Duke, he mentored four All-ACC honorees: Brandon Johnson, Jaylen Stinson, Chandler Rivers and Darius Joiner.

The Blue Devils’ defensive back unit produced 59 pass breakups to rank fourth in the ACC and was one of two schools in the league to have five players with six-plus breakups on the year. 

Thomas spent 2019 through ’21 as a defensive analyst at LSU. While in Baton Rouge, he mentored seven All-SEC honorees, including first-team recipients Grant Delpit (a second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 2020 NFL Draft and 2019 Jim Thorpe award winner), Derek Stingley Jr. (the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, by the Houston Texas), Cordale Flott (a third-round pick of the New York Giants), Jay Ward (a fourth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings) and Kristian Fulton (a second-round pick of the Tennessee Titans).

Thomas also was on staff when the Tigers claimed the 2019 SEC title and 2020 NCAA FBS national championship.

In 2019, the Tigers led the SEC in interceptions with 17. LSU ranked second in the league in pass efficiency defense, allowing opponents to complete just 50.7 percent of its passes — the best percentage in the league.

Thomas was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2018, working primarily with the defensive backs.

A four-year letter winner at LSU (2013-16), Thomas compiled 110 tackles, 16½ tackles for loss, 5½ sacks, 21 pass breakups, eight quarterback pressures, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 41 career games.

After his collegiate career, the New Orleans native signed a free-agent contract with the National Football League’s New England Patriots.

Thomas graduated from LSU with a bachelor’s degree in sport administration in December 2016.