Former All-ACC linebacker and veteran coach Tommy Thigpen joined the Carolina football staff in January of 2018 to serve as safeties coach under then-head coach Larry Fedora. When Mack Brown was hired following the ’18 season, Thigpen was retained and elevated to co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. Thigpen, who played at Carolina for Mack Brown, was a graduate assistant under Carl Torbush and spent four seasons coaching linebackers under John Bunting and Butch Davis.
In addition to being a standout coach, Thigpen is widely considered one of the top recruiters in college football. He was named National Recruiter of the Year by Rivals.com in 2013 after helping to sign the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation at Tennessee. Thigpen was also honored by Rivals as one of the nation’s top-25 recruiters in 2007 while at Carolina.
The 2023 season saw the continuation of excellent linebacker play from Cedric Gray and Power Echols. The duo combined for 224 tackles, five sacks, 16.5 TFL, two INTs, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Gray, who claimed his second first-team All-ACC honor, tied for 19th nationally and ranked second in the ACC with 121 tackles to go along with five sacks, 11 TFL, an INT, four PBU, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He went on to be drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. Echols followed up a strong ’22 season with 103 tackles, 5.5 TFL, an INT and two fumble recoveries to earn third-team All-ACC honors.
During the 2022 season, Thigpen mentored an inside linebacker group headlined by Gray and Echols. Gray, who earned second-team All-America and first-team All-ACC honors, led the Power 5 in tackles (145) and solo tackles (82). He also led the team with 12 TFL to go along with a sack, two INTs, six PBU, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Echols garnered honorable mention All-ACC honors after ranking sixth in the Power 5 in solo tackles with 70. He finished the year with 103 total tackles, two sacks, five TFL, seven pressures, an INT, two PBU and a forced fumble.
Thigpen’s inside linebacker group was a bright spot for the Carolina defense in 2021. Jeremiah Gemmel and Gray combined to post 175 tackles, four sacks and 13.5 TFL. Gemmel finished second on the team with 75 tackles to go along with 1.5 sacks, 6.5 TFL, an INT, three PBU, seven pressures and a forced fumble en route to third-team All-ACC honors. Gray led the team in tackles with 100, which was tied for the fourth most in the ACC. He added 2.5 sacks, seven TFL, two INTs, three PBU, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
In his third year at Carolina, Thigpen helped coordinate a defense that produced 36 sacks, the most for a Carolina defense since 2000 and tied for fifth nationally. The scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense all ranked in the Top 35 nationally of teams that played at least 10 games. The unit produced a first-team All-American in linebacker Chazz Surratt and four players who earned All-ACC honors. Thigpen’s inside linebackers led the team in tackles with Surratt posting 91 and Gemmel notching 78. The duo also combined for 8.5 sacks, 13.5 TFL and 13 pressures.
Thigpen helped engineer a number of improvements in the Tar Heel defense, which was one of the nation’s top five most improved units in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense, in his second year at Carolina in 2019. UNC allowed 373.2 yards per game, which was almost a 75-yard per game improvement over the previous season, and bolstered its ranking by 56 positions. The scoring defense improved by 63 spots after holding opponents to 10.8 points less per game, and the rushing defense jumped 60 spots after allowing 75.3 yards fewer per game. In addition, the defense surged up 60 spots in opponent third-down percentage and tallied seven more INTs than the prior year. Individually, Thigpen mentored a trio of inside linebackers in Gemmel, Surratt and Dominique Ross that combined for 243 tackles, 11 sacks, 26.5 TFL, 16 pressures, two INTs and five forced fumbles. Thigpen tutored QB-turned-LB Surratt to first-team All-ACC honors.
Thigpen came to Carolina after spending five seasons at Tennessee (2013-17) as the linebackers coach and, beginning in 2016, the defensive run game coordinator. In Knoxville, Thigpen coached linebackers A.J. Johnson, Curt Maggitt and Jalen Reeves-Maybin to All-SEC honors. The Volunteers won three straight bowl games in his time at UT.
Prior to heading to Knoxville, Thigpen spent four seasons at Auburn, where he mentored the safeties (2009-11) and linebackers (2012). Under former Carolina defensive coordinator Gene Chizik, Thigpen helped the Tigers to the BCS National Championship in 2010, a season during which Auburn ranked ninth in the country in rush defense at 109.1 yards per game.
Safety Zac Etheridge registered 69 tackles, second-most on the team. Etheridge earned All-SEC honorable mention honors. As a group, Thigpen’s safeties combined for 186 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and three interceptions. In Auburn’s two biggest games that year, Thigpen directed a unit that helped hold South Carolina to just 17 points in the SEC Championship Game and Oregon to 19 points in the BCS National Championship Game. The Tigers defense held the high-powered Ducks 28 points under their season average and produced a pair of interceptions.
During his first season at Auburn, the Tigers ranked 17th in the nation in opponent third down conversion percentage (32.8) and forced 24 turnovers. His safeties helped the Auburn defense rank 31st nationally in pass defense efficiency and picked off 17 passes, tied for third most in the SEC. Thigpen instructed Daren Bates in 2009, who was named to the SEC All-Freshman team after starting all 13 games and ranking fourth on the team with 70 tackles as a true freshman.
Prior to his tenure at Auburn, Thigpen coached the linebackers at North Carolina for four seasons from 2005-08. He tutored UNC’s leading tacklers in each of his four seasons in Chapel Hill, coaching eventual standouts including Zach Brown, Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivant.
Thigpen coached for two years at Illinois, serving as the cornerbacks coach in 2003 and the linebackers coach in 2004.
In 2001-02, he coached cornerbacks and was the special teams coordinator at Bowling Green State. At Bowling Green State, Thigpen helped coach one of the Mid-American Conference’s top defenses, leading the MAC in turnover margin in 2002. BGSU also finished second in the MAC in pass efficiency defense, while Thigpen’s special teams also were impressive, blocking seven punts and one field goal.
Thigpen began his coaching career as a UNC graduate assistant in 1998-99. He then coached linebackers at Tennessee State in 2000.
A Parade All-American and Virginia Defensive Player of the Year at Potomac High School in Dumfries, Va., Thigpen earned four letters at North Carolina from 1989-92 and secured his bachelor’s degree in political science. He was a three-time All-ACC linebacker, earning first-team honors in 1991. Thigpen was co-captain of the 1992 team that went 9-3 and beat Mississippi State in the Peach Bowl, the first of six bowl games for the Tar Heels in the 1990s. Thigpen went on to play professionally for the New York Giants in 1993-94 and the Barcelona Dragons in 1995-96 before beginning his coaching career.
Thigpen is married to the former Jacinda Webb and the couple has two daughters, Asia and Naja.
The Thigpen File
Personal
Birthdate: March 17, 1971
Hometown: El Dorado, Ark.
Wife: Jacinda
Children: daughters, Asia and Naja
Education
College: UNC ‘92
Thigpen Coaching History
| Years |
School |
Title |
| 2019-present |
North Carolina |
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers |
| 2018 |
North Carolina |
Safeties |
| 2016-17 |
Tennessee |
Defensive Run Game Coordinator/Linebackers |
| 2013-15 |
Tennessee |
Linebackers |
| 2012 |
Auburn |
Linebackers |
| 2009-11 |
Auburn |
Safeties |
| 2005-08 |
North Carolina |
Linebackers |
| 2004 |
Illinois |
Linebackers |
| 2003 |
Illinois |
Cornerbacks |
| 2001-02 |
Bowling Green State |
Cornerbacks/Special Teams Coordinator |
| 2000 |
Tennessee State |
Linebackers |
| 1998-99 |
North Carolina |
Graduate Assistant |
Postseason Experience As a Coach
| Years |
School |
Bowl |
| 2023 |
North Carolina |
Duke's Mayo Bowl |
| 2022 |
North Carolina |
Holiday Bowl |
| 2021 |
North Carolina |
Duke's Mayo Bowl |
| 2020 |
North Carolina |
Orange Bowl |
| 2019 |
North Carolina |
Military Bowl |
| 2016 |
Tennessee |
Music City Bowl |
| 2016 |
Tennessee |
Outback Bowl |
| 2015 |
Tennessee |
TaxSlayer Bowl |
| 2011 |
Auburn |
Chik-Fil-A Bowl |
| 2011 |
Auburn |
BCS Championship |
| 2010 |
Auburn |
Outback Bowl |
| 2008 |
North Carolina |
Meineke Car Care Bowl |
| 1998 |
North Carolina |
Las Vegas Bowl |
Postseason Experience As a Player
| Years |
School |
Bowl |
| 1992 |
North Carolina |
Peach Bowl |
