WVU Football Able to Activate JaCorey Thomas After New Ruling

Sitting at 3-0, the WVU football program secured another big win on Wednesday. Recent transfer acquisition JaCorey Thomas is now eligible to play.

Thomas, who spent four seasons at Georgia from 2022-25, and several others were granted an injunction and temporary restraining order thanks to a ruling inside a Monroe Circuit Court in the State of Indiana.

While Thomas did take part in an NFL rookie mini camp with the Carolina Panthers, he did not sign a professional contract, which does differentiate him from those who attempted to revert back to college football after failing to make a main roster in the NFL.

Willing to acknowledge his past comments and the Big 12’s current stance on adding professional players, Rodriguez said the fact Thomas never signed an actual contract with an NFL team was a different in being willing to pursue him. Rodriguez then added that he believes Thomas taking part in an NFL rookie mini camp will not impact his eligibility, which also made him comfortable in bringing in a new player after the season kicked off.

The addition of Thomas does come after Rodriguez recently labeled once professional players playing in college sports “ridiculous” and advocated for a Big 12 ban even prior to conference announcing their new rules on the topic. He did also say they aren’t pursuing NFL rosters, but would leave a roster spot open for an addition of some kind.

“We still have a spot or two. We had a school tryout, and we still have a spot, maybe to bring a guy in of the guys that have tried out. We may do that. We’re kind of waiting to get through this week before we determine that part of it. We’re always on the look for players. Now, we’re not looking at NFL rosters right now or any guys that just got cut,” said Rodriguez when closing fall camp.

As a player, Thomas recorded 45 total tackles and one for a loss and a sack with the Bulldogs in 2025.

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