Oklahoma defensive end R Mason Thomas’ loyalty to the Oklahoma Sooners definitely can’t ever be questioned.
During his coaches show Monday night, OU head coach Brent Venables said that Thomas was offered “well over seven figures” by other college football programs to transfer from Oklahoma this offseason. And Thomas has never even been in the Transfer Portal since joining the Sooners out of high school.
OU captain turned down massive money to keep playing for Sooners
“Through a lot of hard work, man, he's really developed into one of the most explosive defenders in all the college football,” Venables said. “(Thomas) was offered, you know, well over seven figures to leave Oklahoma in the offseason. But just goes to show the type of character, type of care, the type of investment that he has here at Oklahoma, what his opportunity means to him. So, really cool to see.”
Athletes getting offered lumps of cash while not even on the market is no longer a rare occurrence in the Wild West of college sports. Although it tends to happen at the lower levels with Power Four programs coming to poach their talent, this shows not even blue blood programs like OU are safe from getting talent sniped.
This proved Thomas is an anomaly in today’s college football. Not only did Thomas not leave for more money, but he never even left at all. Thomas signed with the Sooners in 2022 as part of Venables' first recruiting class and has been in Norman ever since.
Thomas’ loyalty was rewarded, though, after being named one of seven permanent team captains for his senior season. He joined quarterback John Mateer, offensive lineman Troy Everett, defensive tackle Gracen Halton, linebacker Kip Lewis, defensive lineman Damonic Williams and safety Robert Spears-Jennings as OU’s captains for the entire 2025 season.
And soon, Thomas will eventually get his seven-figure pay day as a 2026 NFL Draft prospect.
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