by The last time Ball State football’s Justin Thomas played in a game was Nov. 18, 2023, a Division II playoff contest against Pitt State with the University of Indianapolis (UIndy). The game was played at Carnie Smith Stadium, which seats just over 8,000 people.
On Saturday, Aug. 30, the junior linebacker will make his Division I debut in West Lafayette as the Cardinals face Purdue in Ross-Ade Stadium. The venue that holds over 60,000.
“I wouldn’t say I’m nervous. It’s more of a ‘Dude, this is what you’ve been waiting for’ type of moment,” Thomas said.
But he believes this opportunity is something that can’t be taken for granted after missing the entire 2024 season with a broken right tibia and fibula fracture, the only injury he’s had in his football career.
Throughout the 11-month-long journey of physical and mental pain, a few things got him through it. His coaches, the love of the game and a tattoo of Roman numerals on his right leg — the birthday and death date of his grandfather, Relton.
Last Sunday was the fifth-year anniversary of his passing.
“You’re doing this not just for yourself,” Thomas said. “You’re doing it for people who wish they could be here.”
‘I’m done’
Thomas grew up around football, literally. His father, Jeffery, played collegiately at Temple and coached for 15 years, while his older brother, Jalen, and a cousin played at Wisconsin. His uncle, Rocky, was a running back at Illinois.
Though Jeffery never intended for his sons to play the game, Justin knew he wanted to follow the family tradition. After starting with flag football — and quickly realizing he was ‘too good’ for that — he began playing tackle.
He fell in love with the sport.
He played for Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, Illinois, and racked up accolades left and right. After being named the 2021 SWSC Defensive Player of the Year and receiving the most outstanding senior male athlete award, he then committed to UIndy to play for the Greyhounds.
After two years in Indianapolis, he had multiple offers to play D1, and one of those was Ball State. His first official visit was in January of 2024, and with it being winter break, there was no one on campus.
Still, the feeling he received and the atmosphere around Muncie drew him in. He knew this was it.
“When you just know something is right, it’s meant for your path,” Justin said. “I couldn’t imagine myself at another school in this exact moment … Ball State was meant for me.”
Just a few months later, he completed springball and was ready for the season. But on Aug. 13, 2024 — during Ball State’s fall camp — it happened. As he was running towards a ball carrier, he had to avoid another defensive player.
He felt the break.
“I sat up and was trying to move it,” he said. “I just couldn’t move it. I was like, ‘I’m done.”’
After realizing how serious the injury was, he knew his season was over. Though he attempted to make the best of the scenario, he found himself on the couch most Saturdays, watching the Cardinals play road games.
He was miserable.
“The first week, maybe even longer, I cried every night,” Justin said. “We’d lose games and I’d go home and I’d cry. I just felt like I couldn’t do anything.”
Though the mental aspect began to deteriorate, his coaches never gave up. Ball State strength and conditioning coach T.J. Greenstone was someone Justin said helped him through the tough times.
“I was an athlete, and I was in the shoes of these guys. from an injury perspective,” Greenstone said. “It’s not easy coming back from something like that. A lot of times, it’s really easy to feel ostracized or isolated.”
Combine that with even more support from defensive coordinator Jeff Knowles, Justin said the coaching staff could not have been a better support system.
“I know Justin was crushed when it happened, but his work ethic came through, and he pushed so hard all offseason. It was really impressive,” Knowles said. “We just hope for the best for him, obviously, and, you know, it hurts us to see him down.”
‘I’ll never forget him as long as I live’
Long before the injury and a year removed from his first college football season, Justin was on a family vacation in Indonesia with his family. His mother, Sherri, asked if her sons wanted to get tattoos. While Justin was hesitant at first, he ultimately decided to get one.
“I just sat there [in the studio] and was thinking what could possibly be a good idea?” Justin said.
Though he struggled to make a selection, he remembered his grandfather, Relton Harvey. As a kid, Justin watched Jeffrey fight through Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, an infection that has become resistant to many antibiotics. To fight the disease, he was often in the hospital.
During that time, his grandparents stepped in to raise him and his three siblings. Relton was a second father figure and someone that Justin will remember for his entire life.
“It’s always a constant reminder that I’ll never forget him,” he said. “When I have grandchildren one day and they are like, ‘What is this tattoo?’ I’ll tell them about their great, great, great grandfather.”
He still remembers the days of riding around in his White Monte Carlo. During those rides and at any other time, Relton was never afraid to give his grandchildren advice in any avenue of life. Some of those lessons are ones that Justin has tried to live by.
“He’d give you any advice that you needed. He was just a very loving man,” Justin said. “His funeral had so many people there, and I feel like that’s just like a testament as to who you are as a person. He passed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we still had like 120 people at my house.
“He was pivotal to me growing up and the person that I became. He shaped me a lot and was just a great grandfather.”
From watching WWE and football, Justin said his grandfather was there to do everything with the family. But when Justin was in high school, Relton was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately lost his battle. Even though he was gone, Justin never forgot about the memories and wanted to make sure he had an homage to him.
Years after making that decision, the tattoo reminded him to be strong throughout the recovery process. But also made Justin think about the man he was trying to honor.
“Every time I put on any equipment or anything, I just see it, and I say, ‘All right, let’s go”’ he said. ” Because I know that he would be really proud of me playing, and I know that he would love to come to these games all the time … Any time that I feel like I have any doubts or anything, it just lifts them off of me. I’ll never forget him for as long as I live.”
After 11 months, he was ready to start practicing. Though he took his first few practices in June at a slow pace, he began to get back into football shape. Then, everything started to click.
He was ready.
And now, Justin will make his return to football in just one day. A comeback that his coaches and he have looked forward to in a long, long time.
“I think I’m just really looking forward to being back out there with my guys,” Justin said. “It’s hard to replicate that game day experience.”
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
