Awards and Honors:
2023 Stats Perform FCS First Team All-America (Punt Returner)
2023 FCS Football Central First Team All-America (Punt Returner)
2023 Phil Steele FCS Second Team All-America (Punt Returner)
2023 First Team All-UAC (Return Specialist)
UAC Special Teams Player of the Week: Sept. 18, Oct. 23Â (2023)
ASUN Special Teams Player of the Week: Oct. 3Â (2022)
ASUN Freshman of the Week: Aug. 29, Oct. 17Â (2022)
Dean's List (S22)
Athletics Director's Honor Roll (F21)
2023: A Stats Perform FCS and FCS Football Central First Team All-America selection at punt returner… A Phil Steele FCS Second Team All-America selection at punt returner… Also a First Team All-UAC selection at return specialist, he played in 10 games and made nine starts at wide receiver… Had five receptions for 72 yards and a 41-yard touchdown – his first career receiving touchdown – in addition to returning four kicks for 60 yards in the season opener at Southern Illinois (Sept. 2)… Returned four punts for 123 yards – an Austin Peay single-game record and the first 100-yard punt return game in program history – with an 89-yard return for a touchdown – the second-longest in program history – against ETSU (Sept. 16) en route to earning UAC Special Teams Player of the Week… His 123 punt return yards were the third-best single-game mark in the FCS and the 89-yard return was the second-longest in the FCS in 2023… Returned four kicks for a career-high 111 yards at Stephen F. Austin (Sept. 23)… Hauled in two 46-yard touchdown receptions in the first quarter at Lindenwood (Sept. 30), finshing the day with two catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns… Also rushed five times for 39 yards, returned a kick for 14 yards, and returned a punt for 40 yards at Lindenwood to finish with 185 all-purpose yards… Made nine catches for 55 yards against Gardner-Webb (Oct. 14)… Returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown at Southern Utah (Oct. 21) to tie the Austin Peay single-season punt return touchdown record (2) and the career punt return touchdown record (3) while earning UAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the second time… His 82-yard punt return touchdown at Southern Utah was the third-longest return in APSU history and the seventh-longest in the FCS in 2023… Also rushed four times for 22 yards and caught four passes for 33 yards at Southern Utah… Posted career highs with 10 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns – scoring from 42 and 54 yards – at Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 4)… His 204 receiving yards against EKU was the fifth 200-yard game in program history, the fifth-best single-game total in program history, the first 200-yard receiving game by a Gov since 2021, and the eighth-best single-game mark in the FCS in 2023… His 10 receptions against EKU were the most by a Governors in 2023… He also rushed once for one yard and returned a kick for 25 yards to finish with a career-high 230 all-purpose yards – the third-best single-game total in the UAC – against EKU… Rushed three times for 14 yards and a six-yard touchdown – his first career rushing touchdown – against Utah Tech (Nov. 11)… Missed the final two games of the season due to injury… Finished the season with 22 rushes for 78 yards and a touchdown, 50 receptions for 629 yards and five touchdowns, 14 kickoff returns for 296 yards, and 12 punt returns for 267 yards and two touchdowns… Also totaled a career-high 1,270 all-purpose yards… Led the FCS in punt return average (22.2) and ranked second in punt return touchdowns… Ranked 51st in the FCS and fourth in the UAC in kickoff return average (21.1)… Ranked 19th in the FCS and led the UAC with 567 combined kick return yards despite only having 26 total return attempts… Ranked 34th in the FCS and fifth in the UAC with 5.0 receptions per game… Ranked 55th in the FCS and sixth in the UAC with 62.9 receiving yards per game… Ranked ninth in the UAC in receptions and receiving touchdowns while ranking 10th in receiving yards… Ranked 10th in the FCS, second in the UAC, and led the Govs with 127.0 all-purpose yards per game… Set the APSU single-season records for punt return touchdowns and punt return average… Also closed his time at Austin Peay as the career leader in punt return touchdowns (3) and punt return average (14.41)… Ranks fifth in program history in punt return yards (533) and seventh in combined kick return yards (1,267)… Has the three longest punt returns and five of the 10 longest punt returns in program history.
2022: Played in 10 games and was the Govs primary kick and punt return specialist… Returned a pair of punts for 28 yards in the season opener at Western Kentucky (Aug. 27)… Had two catches for 22 yards – his first collegiate receptions – to go along with four punt returns for 27 yards against Mississippi Valley State (Sept. 10)… Returned two kicks for 27 yards and two punts for 50 yards – with a 46-yard long – to post 77 combined return yards against Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 24)… Returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown at Central Arkansas (Oct. 1), it was the first punt return for a touchdown by a Gov since Tee Howell in 2011 and topped a 71-yard return by Terrence Holt in 2009 as the longest in program history… The 92-yard punt return was tied for the longest in Division I football during the 2022 season… Also caught one pass for five yards against UCA… Returned a kick 94 yards for a touchdown in the Govs’ next game against Murray State (Oct. 15), it was the first kick return for a touchdown by a Gov since Kyran Moore in 2017 and was the seventh-longest kick return touchdown in program history… Finished the Murray State contest with 112 combined return yards on two kick and three punt returns… Had a pair of 20-yard kick returns at North Alabama (Nov. 5)… Returned four kicks for 74 yards, with a 23-yard long, in the season finale at Alabama (Nov. 19)… Finished the season with 15 punt returns for 201 yards and a 13.4-yard average… His 201 punt return yards ranked ninth in the FCS and are the ninth-best single-season mark in program history while his 13.4-yard average ranked ninth in the FCS and was the second-best single-season mark in APSU history… Totaled 14 kick returns for 318 yards and a 22.7-yard average… Ranked 27th in the FCS and second in the ASUN with 519 combined kick return yards… Was one of six Division I football players to return a kick and punt for a touchdown in 2022.
2021: Played in four games for the Governors as a return specialist… Returned three kicks for 71 yards, including a season-long return of 60 yards, in the season opener against Chattanooga (Sept. 2)… Returned four punts for 63 yards, including a season-long 41-yard return, against Morehead State (Sept. 18)… Returned a pair of kicks for 49 yards and caught four punts at Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 25)… Finished the season with five kick returns for 120 yards and 10 punt returns for 65 yards.
High School: Prepped as a wide receiver and cornerback for head coach Rueben Nelson at Ramsay High School, where he helped lead the Rams to a 5A Region 5 title in 2020… Played on the North All-Star team in the 62nd Alabama High School Athletic Association North-South All-Star Football game… An honorable mention at wide receiver for the 2020 Birmingham All-Region team… Also participated in both indoor and outdoor track and field for the Rams… Finished second in both the 100-meter (10.93s) and the 200-meter dash (22.08s) and third in the 400-meter dash (49.49s) at the 2021 AHSAA Class 5A State Outdoor Track & Field Championships… Also finished second in both the 60-meter (6.94s) and 400-meter (49.66) dashes while also a member of the Ramsay State Champion 4x400 relay team at the 2021 State Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Personal: Kameron Jahmon Thomas is the son of Stephanie Williams and Starling Thomas IV… Birthday is July 3… Has three siblings: Starling V, Kayln, and Christian… Brother, Starling, is a cornerback at UAB… A finance major.
