TicketsPete Thomas joined the Cincinnati staff as quarterbacks coach in 2023. He enters his third season with the Bearcats.
A former college signal caller and Arena Football League player, Thomas is an up-and-coming recruiter and quarterback technician.
In 2024, Thomas coached Brendan Sorsby, a transfer quarterback from Indiana, who emerged as one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterbacks. Sorsby was one of just four players across the country to pass for over 2,800 yards and 18 touchdowns, while also rushing for nine touchdowns. His performance earned him two Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors, along with an honorable mention for the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year award. He added 447 rushing yards on the ground, and was the nation’s only player to have a 425-yard passing game as well as a 125-yard rushing game.
In 2023, Thomas helped guide a Cincinnati offense that totaled 426.1 yards per game – the nation’s 33rd-best mark. He coached quarterback Emory Jones, who finished among the Big 12’s leaders in total offense as he tallied 2,219 yards passing and 18 touchdowns to go along with 560 rushing yards and four scores.
Prior to joining the Bearcats, Thomas spent four seasons on Scott Satterfield’s staff at Louisville. He was elevated to quarterbacks coach in 2021.
Thomas was selected for the American Football Coaches Association’s 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute in 2021. The prestigious program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession.
Thomas’ first season leading the quarterbacks at Louisville saw Malik Cunningham elevate his game to a different level in 2021. Cunningham became the second quarterback in school history to rush for 1,000 yards and also passed for 2,941 yards and 19 touchdowns.
In 2022, Cunningham became the sixth FBS player to pass for 9,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards in a career. He rushed for 3,160 yards and 49 touchdowns, while passing for 9,350 yards and 67 touchdowns.
Before ascending the role of quarterbacks coach, he spent two seasons as an offensive quality control coach with the Cardinals. During 2019 and 2020, he assisted the offensive line and was tabbed a 247Sports’ 2019 30-under-30 honoree as one of the top up-and-coming young coaches in college football.
In 2020, the Cardinals averaged 444.2 yards per game, including 200.0 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground.
During the 2019 campaign, Thomas helped provide guidance to former offensive tackle Mekhi Becton, who was the No. 11 selection in the 2020 NFL Draft and translated that into a successful first season with the New York Jets.
Thomas assisted the offensive staff in game planning and was a key component in allowing the Cardinals to average 445.9 yards per game in 2019.
Before joining the Louisville staff, Thomas spent two seasons working under Satterfield at Appalachian State as an offensive graduate assistant in 2017 and offensive quality control coach in 2018. He also served as the interim quarterbacks coach – calling the plays – for the 2018 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, which the Mountaineers won 45-13 over Middle Tennessee.
Thomas spent a spring at Texas A&M Kingsville in addition to work at his alma mater Valhalla High School in El Cajon, Calif.
Thomas started at quarterback for three different FBS programs. His collegiate career began at Colorado State, where he started 21 games over the 2010-11 seasons.
Thomas transferred to North Carolina State and redshirted the 2012 season before making six starts in 2013. He then closed out his collegiate career in 2014 at Louisiana Monroe.
For his career, Thomas threw for more than 9,000 yards and 36 touchdowns, completing 61.7 percent of his passes.
Thomas, who graduated from NC State in 2014 with his bachelor’s degree in communications, played one season for the Los Angeles Kiss of the Arena Football League, throwing for over 2,000 yards and 43 touchdowns.