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Jaguars UDFA Bryan Thomas Jr. hoping to follow in father's NFL footsteps

The Gamecocks EDGE rusher signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
ByMorgan Moriarty|
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East Rutherford, NJ 10/12/03 Jets DE Bryan Thomas (99) who was playing in place of John Abraham (made inactive because of DWI incident) celebrating his fumble recovery with teammate Sam Garnes (42). The play set up a field goal in a Jets 30-3 win.
East Rutherford, NJ 10/12/03 Jets DE Bryan Thomas (99) who was playing in place of John Abraham (made inactive because of DWI incident) celebrating his fumble recovery with teammate Sam Garnes (42). The play set up a field goal in a Jets 30-3 win. | Danielle P. Richards / The Record / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sometimes having NFL experience in your genes is a good thing. Over the weekend, former South Carolina Gamecock EDGE rusher Bryan Thomas Jr. got his shot with an NFL team, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent. 

With the signing, he is attempting to follow in the footsteps of his father, Bryan Thomas Sr. His dad played college football at UAB, and was drafted in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. The New York Jets selected him with the No. 22 overall pick. 

He spent 11 seasons in the NFL, all of them with the Jets. Across his 11-year NFL career, he made 104 game starts, 455 total tackles, 33.5 sacks and 40 quarterback hits. He played in 11 playoff games for the Jets during his career, helping New York's defense make back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2010 and 2011.

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He missed most of the 2011 season due to a torn achilles injury, and was released by the Jets after suffering a hamstring injury early in the 2012 season.    

Thomas' son, Bryan Thomas Jr., spent the last four seasons at South Carolina, accounting for 92 total tackles with 12.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. He was a former three-star recruit coming out of high school, playing for Foundation Academy in Winter Garden, Fla. He was the No. 61 overall EDGE rusher from the class of 2022, per the 247SportsComposite.

Obviously Thomas Jr. has a long way to go before he can make an NFL roster like his father did, but getting the UDFA deal with Jacksonville is the first step. 

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