Perhaps no high school football player in the area is more eager than Terrion Thomas for spring practice to start.

The Grace Christian star running back has every reason to be counting down the days.

After missing the entirety of the 2025 season because of a preseason injury, the 5-foot-9, 195-pound college football prospect is chomping at the bit to get back on the field.

“I’m excited,” said Thomas. “It’s going to be like a refresh, getting back out there with the guys.”

LOOKING BACK

Thomas erupted as one of the top skill players in East Tennessee with what he achieved in the 2024 season.

Then a sophomore all-purpose back, Thomas ran for 1,265 yards and 19 touchdowns while catching 69 passes for 1,044 yards and nine more touchdowns.

All that, in just 12 games.

Indiana offered him on Nov. 11, 2024.

No doubt Thomas was set to be an even bigger star in 2025.

Kennesaw State and ETSU offered in June 2025, and Thomas looked the part in summer 7-on-7 play.

“I just felt like, as a junior, his expectations were high. But I think he was going to reach those,” Grace coach Justin Price said, “and even go beyond what we saw as a sophomore.”

All that momentum halted in a 2025 preseason scrimmage at Clinton, though.

Thomas sustained an injury to his right foot, which, at first, he didn’t think would prove to be serious. But after further examination, the injury required surgery and relegated him to the sideline for months.

“To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to be out the whole season, at first,” Thomas said. “I did an interview (that day), and I was like, ‘I got a little banged up.’ But I didn’t know how bad it was going to be.

“But it took a toll on me and the team, and it was real heart-breaking. It was a long, long recovery. But it’s been fun getting back.”

FACING ADVERSITY

Taking away football — especially the all-important junior season for a football player — might make some prospects crumble or possibly quit.

Not Thomas, though.

Sure, some low moments popped up here and there in the early going.

But when those around him paused to take in the full view of how Thomas handled the fall, they couldn’t help but mention how maturely he acted.

Grace Christian coach Justin Price recalled a moment in August that let him know that Thomas was taking the right steps to handle what was happening.

“Terrion has a business-like mindset. He talks when he needs to, but he’s not one to talk too much about things,” Price said. “We were having our school’s opening-night celebration night in August. There’s a chapel service. And at the end, people go down to pray.

“Terrion just walks down there. And our whole team just goes down there to surround him with prayer. … I saw how mature he was in that moment, to just trust God and ‘that’s what’s happened to me is going to be better for me in the long run.’ I truly believe that was mindset Terrion’s had since he got the news.”

And so it was.

Thomas still showed up for practices and games and stayed engaged mentally.

He spurred on his teammates — especially younger brother JV Stinson, who helped fill the production vacancy left behind in the wake of Thomas’ injury.

Stinson, a 5-7 freshman running back, wound up running for 1,479 yards this past season with 16 touchdowns to complement the season of senior all-purpose standout Jace Ballard (1,020 receiving yards, 681 rushing yards).

“He heard from me before he heard from anybody else,” Thomas said about coaching his brother.

“I really wanted to be out there (playing),” Thomas added, “but I knew it was God’s plan to see how it comes about and to see how it all works out. I knew coming into this season I was a big leader on the team. I just didn’t want them to see a leader on the team walk away. So I made sure to be there at every practice and everything to let them know I’m still here, that’s it’s more than football.”

After two months off his foot, Thomas began rehabilitation. Multiple times per week he went to physical rehab. And on his off days, still more exercises and reps to began his journey back to peak form.

A post on X/Twitter by Thomas in mid-November resonated with Price, one that featured Thomas expressing his gratitude in being able to still be around the team and make an impact but also turning his focus immediately to 2026.

“I think in that moment, to me, you could tell that he was going to come back and be just as good if not better,” Price said. “He got through basketball season. And then this offseason, he’s still not 100 percent, but you can tell his mindset and how focused he is on getting back to where he was.”

By the late weeks of Grace’s basketball season, Thomas returned to action and found himself back in meaningful minutes of competition for the first time in more than six months.

“It felt amazing, I’m not going to lie,” Thomas said. “It was hard at first, just knowing what my body could do and couldn’t do (at that point). That was the hardest part, just getting over the mental part of it. Once I got that out of the way, it went pretty smooth.”

In less than a week, Thomas will be back in football mode.

The Grace Christian Rams, which reached the Division II-A state quarterfinals last season, will begin spring practice Monday, April 27.

And Thomas is ready.

“I’m taking it step by step and day by day,” he said. “Trying to get back as fast as I can but also going slow to get back in the groove of things and knock some rust off.”

LOOKING AHEAD

Spring practice for Thomas won’t be about showing he’s back at peak form.

He needs to be at his peak by August, when the Rams kick off the 2026 season against Carter on the 28th.

Still, the coming weeks will be more about continuing to get Thomas acclimated to football again, re-establishing confidence in his on-field abilities and building toward his final prep season.

Moreover, this coming stretch will give college recruiters an opportunity to reconnect with him.

Carson-Newman offered Thomas in late March. North Alabama offered in early March. Eastern Kentucky is also one of the six programs in the mix.

“He’s getting close to where he was, but whether or not Terrion had that injury, we know what Terrion can do. He’ll be a senior. We want to make sure some other guys are getting developed,” Price said. “But at the same time, Terrion needs to get in there and get some reps and get a feel of the game that he is so good at.

“We’ll be very careful with him, as much as we can be, and putting him in positions of getting back in the rhythm of playing the game — but also being smart to try and eliminate as much as you can. It’s still a risk any time you go out and practice or play. But I think we’ll be monitoring him closely of how he feels and making sure he’s getting back to where he’s playing the game and getting the feel of it the way he did as a sophomore.”

The 2025 season was supposed to have been the first time that Thomas and Stinson played football together.

Thomas is ready to make up for lost time on the field with his brother.

“That’s a big thing I’m looking forward to this year,” said Thomas, “sharing the backfield with him.”

Article written by Jesse Smithey/5Star Preps. To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc., visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code HAMMERS for 30% off your first year or month subscription.

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