With Big Ten football shut down for the fall, Michigan lost another key player Thursday as cornerback Ambry Thomas announced he is skipping his senior season to prepare for the NFL draft.
Wolverines offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield made the same decision a day earlier.
Thomas wrote on Twitter, in part, “This was a very difficult decision as there is nothing I wanted to do more than to suit up in the Maize and Blue this fall. However, in light of the season being postponed, my family and I have decided that beginning to prepare for the draft is the right step to take.”
The Big Ten university presidents voted Aug. 11 to postpone the football season due to the coronavirus pandemic, with an eye toward potentially playing in the spring.
Thomas, a 6-foot, 183-pound player from Detroit, started each of Michigan’s 13 games last year even though he had just recovered from a bout with colitis. He finished with 38 tackles (three for loss), three interceptions, seven passes defended and two fumble recoveries.
Thomas was selected as the program’s Defensive Skill Player of the Year, and Pro Football Focus placed him on its All-Big Ten second team.