22 DAYS TO KICKOFF: Thomas Ferguson

#22 Thomas Ferguson True Junior 6-0 | 200 Grand Prairie, Texas Bio

Position: Defensive Back Previous College: None Projection: Second-String Status: On Scholarship

Thomas Ferguson (b. Sept. 27, 1990) is an interesting specimen. He was good enough to see playing time in 11 games as a true freshman in 2009, including one start, yet you don't really hear much about him.

Ferguson played in 11 more games as a sophomore on both defense and special teams, logging a few tackles and pass breakups here and there. He's a versatile player, too, having lined up at both cornerback and safety.

Thanks to the absence of Tysyn Hartman and Ty Zimmerman, Ferguson had an opportunity to start at safety for the Purple team in the 2011 spring game.

He made the most of his chance, collecting what would have been a career-high seven tackles. Now that Emmanuel Lamur has become a linebacker, I think Ferguson and Matthew Pearson will be the primary backups at safety.