Coach | UMass Added Disruptor In UNC Transfer Kamarion Thomas
North Carolina DL transfer Kamarion Thomas should bring disruption and versatility.
One of UMass head coach Joe Harasymiak’s new shiny toys comes in the form of North Carolina transfer Kamarion Thomas. Thomas announced his commitment to the Minutemen on Jan. 6 and, according to one of his high school assistant coaches, Devante Wheeler, UMass is getting a disruptive and powerful football player.
In the last couple of weeks, the Minutemen have lost multiple vital pieces from their defensive front. Both Tim Grant-Randall and Shymell Davis, their two starting interior defensive linemen, exhausted their eligibility, while Shambre Jackson, Marques White and David Onuoha elected to enter the transfer portal. Those moves left the Minutemen with one returning interior player and in desperate need of reinforcements.
Despite UMass’ 0-12 record last season, the Saint Albans native was the first player at that position to sign up for the challenge.
“With him, his biggest thing was looking for an opportunity to get on the field,” Wheeler told Minuteman Command. “I think that was present at UMass. He wants a situation that’s comfortable to help him develop. Coach (Nyeem) Wartman, the defensive line coach, forged a good relationship with Kamarion to kind of give him that level of comfort to help him make that decision.”
Thomas didn’t play for the Tar Heels during his freshman season, and the consistency and stability of playing time with the Minutemen seemed like a perfect match. However, the similarities between the structures of both North Carolina and UMass were key in the decision.
“It’s a lot for an 18-year-old kid to navigate in a short period of time, but Kamarion understands what he’s looking for in a program,” Wheeler said. “I was on the visit with him at UMass, and the one thing that hit home with me was that a lot of what those guys are doing with Coach Harasymiak kind of resembles things that were going on at North Carolina. Just having the same systems and structures, I thought, was important for him.”
Thomas had a couple of other suitors, but UMass stood out to both Thomas and Wheeler because of a connection Wheeler and his staff at Erasmus Hall High School have with Harasymiak.
“At Erasmus Hall, we’ve had a relationship with Coach Harasymiak all the way back to his days as defensive coordinator at Rutgers, so we are familiar with his scheme and how he does things,” Wheeler said. “Obviously in the first year, they got in a bit late and had to put a roster together. It didn’t go as planned, but I liked the facilities and I liked what was going on.”
According to Wheeler, Thomas has always been extremely strong. His 6-foot-3, 280-pound frame made him successful prior to his commitment to North Carolina and convinced Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick to add Thomas to his first freshman class.
“Even after high school when he was picking colleges, UNC kind of happened in the 23rd hour of the signing period because of the relationship our head coach had with North Carolina,” Wheeler said. “He was able to pitch and sell Kamarion to Bill Belichick. Even though that in itself is unique, he’s always been unique.”
Throughout high school, Thomas moved well for his size, but his disruption could sometimes be both a strength and a weakness, according to Wheeler.
“Kamarion has always been very, very strong,” Wheeler said. “He carries the weight well. He has a basketball background, so he is very athletic and has really good feet for his size. One thing he probably needs to work on is being more in control of himself. He is so disruptive and is really good at getting up the field quickly.”
Thomas left his first high school for Erasmus Hall because of the football heritage at the school.
“From the first day he was with us, he was just a hard worker,” Wheeler said. “He was committed to the program and committed to getting to the next level. He understood the mission and definitely has the tools.”
Wheeler emphasized Thomas’ ability to ignite a fan base and a defense, making him a special addition to the 2026 Minutemen squad.
“In the community, people are going to see a person that likes meeting new people and interacting with new people. On the field, he’s a beast. He’s going to be an impact player.
“On first and second down, he’ll be big stopping the run, and even on third down he’ll be able to contribute to the pass rush. He can play all three spots.”
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