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#5 Thomas Ferguson |
Position: Defensive Back Previous College: None Projection: Starter 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 we haven't really heard much about him since then.
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 started 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.
Ferguson and departed senior Matthew Pearson were the primary backups at safety last season, and both saw relief time. Ferguson followed up the spring game by appearing in 12 games last season, logging six tackles.
Finally, in the 2012 spring game, the position opposite Zimmerman was Ferguson's to lose, and he did nothing in the spring to hurt himself, collecting 3.5 tackles and appearing to demonstrate a full command of the position.
However, his absence at Fan Appreciation Day has many of us apprehensive of his injury status so near to kickoff.