Sometimes, Justin Thomas gets up around 8 in the morning. On days he doesn’t go to his internship, it’s 11 a.m.
On a campus where sleep is a prized and fleeting commodity, the Georgia Tech quarterback acknowledged the envy that his schedule creates among teammates.
“They are (jealous), but they’ll get to that point one day,” Thomas said with a chuckle. “Everybody has to do their time.”
Having earned his management degree in May, Thomas is taking three classes and has an internship at Barton Executive Search. The stress imposed by academics this semester is not nearly as high as it has been previously; few Tech students would describe their semesters as “kind of chill,” as Thomas did. With a team that looks markedly better than the 2015 version, an offensive line that is providing better protection and school under control, Thomas is enjoying his last lap around the ACC.
“I’m just trying to take it in as much as possible,” Thomas said. “Even through the losses, I don’t know what the future holds, if this is my last time ever to play in a game-type situation. I’m just trying to enjoy the moment, enjoy these last five, six weeks that we have, take it all in.”
As he put it, they are experiences that he can’t get back — running onto Grant Field behind the Ramblin’ Wreck to the cheers of thousands, cutting up in the locker room with teammates and the like. He’s even trying to find positives in the drudgery of practice.
“Everybody doesn’t get to experience (running onto the field),” he said. “And once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
It’s the perspective of a young man whose 4 1/2 years at Tech have sped by, one who has heard former teammates express how much they miss the experience of being on the team. Teammates see a three-time captain who has revealed more of his personality over his career. Earlier in his career, he mostly kept quiet and largely deferred to upperclassmen.
“He definitely is having fun with the guys,” said defensive tackle Patrick Gamble, a fellow senior and captain. “I think he realizes, just like all of us, that this is it. In a few months, we’ll be out these doors and we’ll be taking our name tag off the locker and we’ll be having a new path for ourselves.”
At this point a year ago, Tech was 2-5, Thomas was dinged up, the offensive line’s play was raggedy and he was trying to stay afloat in finite math, a requisite for graduation. His play was subpar, and the Jackets finished 3-9. Thomas didn’t use his course load as an excuse, but all together, it was a rough season.
This fall, perhaps having a little more balance and peace has impacted his performance.
Tech is 4-3 and will face Duke on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Particularly given the young assembly of skill players around him, Thomas probably is playing his best in his three-year term as starter.
The offense seems to have found its footing in the past three games, averaging one play of 20 yards or more for every 10.4 offensive snaps. Thomas has plenty to do with it, throwing on-the-money passes to A-backs and receivers, dealing the ball in the option game and running aggressively on keepers.
“He has played well, he’s consistent, he knows their offense,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “I think he’s really, really good as a reading option quarterback, and he’s got great hands, great feet, and he’s made every aspect of their option offense effective.”
Even the internship, for which he researches industries, companies and prospective candidates for the Atlanta-based search firm, is going well. Tim Barton, the company’s founder and managing partner, describes Thomas as creative, bright and inquisitive.
“He takes a lot of pride in his work,” Barton said. “He doesn’t just show up. He wants to make a difference.”
The same might be said of his aspirations for the slim remainder of his career. While the possibility of getting into the ACC Championship game is decidedly iffy, Thomas has five regular-season games in which he can end losing two-game losing streaks to Duke and North Carolina, get payback for last year’s loss to Virginia and notch back-to-back road wins at Virginia Tech and Georgia.
After an open date to recuperate, Thomas is ready to make a last charge as a collegian, and perhaps for good.
“Especially as a competitor, you don’t get to compete like you do when you’re on the field,” he said. “It’s something that you’ve done your whole life that you can’t do anymore once it’s gone. It’s crazy, to be honest with you.”
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