Football
Thomas, Marcus
Marcus Thomas
- Title:
- Assistant Coach, Running Backs
Marcus Thomas completed his first year back with the UCLA football program as running backs coach in 2024. Thomas previously worked three years in Westwood from 2019-21, including two alongside head coach DeShaun Foster, as an offensive analyst.
The Bruins rushed for a total of 1,039 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, eclipsing the 100-yard mark in three wins against Nebraska, Iowa and USC. Running back T.J. Harden led the UCLA backfield with 536 rushing yards on 124 attempts for an average of 4.1 yards per carry. Redshirt senior Keegan Jones and transfer Jalen Berger each saw action in backup roles, totaling 188 and 182 yards rushing, respectively. Harden recorded UCLA’s lone 100-yard rushing performance of the season versus the Hawkeyes, totaling 125 yards on 20 carries. UCLA’s running backs were heavily involved in the passing game, accounting for 646 of the team’s 2,906 receiving yards. Harden ranked second on the team with 40 receptions for 368 yards while Jones hauled in 19 catches for 201 yards. In the Bruins’ 35-32 win at Rutgers on Oct. 19, Harden, Jones and Berger each took a pass into the endzone for a touchdown while Jones recorded a career-high 114 receiving yards.
Thomas left UCLA in 2022 to become director of player personnel at his alma mater, Navy. He was chosen in 2023 to coach the slot backs, a position in which he starred for the Midshipmen from 2010-13. With Thomas on staff, Navy ball carriers ranked 17th nationally in rushing offense (194.6 yards per game). He joined the San Jose State staff as running backs coach under Ken Niumatalolo in January 2024.
During his initial stop with the Bruins, Thomas assisted offensive coaches off the field in basic game planning, opponent breakdown, opponent personnel and opponent tendencies. He worked specifically with Foster and the running backs in 2020 and 2021, helping UCLA to top-20 scoring and rushing offenses both years.
Zach Charbonnet, a third-round draft pick of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks in 2022, led the Pac-12 with seven games of 100 or more rushing yards as the Bruins scored a league-leading 36.5 points per game in 2021. The 2020 rushers, paced by future NFL backs Brittain Brown and Demetric Felton Jr., gained a conference-best 230.6 yards per game – an uptick of 80.4 yards per game from the 2019 campaign.
Thomas graduated from the Naval Academy in 2014, earning four varsity letters. The Mids registered a 31-20 record during his tenure, claiming the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy twice and beating Army all four times. Navy played in three bowl games with Thomas, winning the 2013 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl by a 24-6 margin against Middle Tennessee.
Individually, Thomas made Phil Steele’s All-Independent second team as a kick returner in 2011 and received All-Independent honorable mention acclaim in 2012 and 2013. He earned All-East recognition from the Eastern College Athletic Conference in 2013. Thomas was honored with the Napoleon McCallum Award, which is presented annually to the graduating Navy varsity football player with the most career all-purpose yards.
Thomas is Navy’s all-time leader in kickoff return yardage with 2,338 yards. Against East Carolina in 2011, he opened the second half with a touchdown return of 90 yards. Thomas also found the end zone once each on the ground and through the air.
Thomas spent five years in the United States Marine Corps, including serving as the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 36 Detachment Officer in charge of 55 Marines for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, a forward deployed contingency-response unit in the Pacific theatre and an Aviation Supply Officer in Okinawa, Japan where he led a team of 42 Marines, providing logistics and supply support to more than 2,000 Marines with Marine Aircraft Group 36 consisting of 58 aircraft.
THOMAS’ COACHING EXPERIENCE
2019 – Director of Strategic Intelligence, UCLA
2020, 2021 – Offensive Analyst, UCLA
2022 – Director of Player Personnel, Navy
2023 – Offensive Assistant/Slot Backs, Navy
2024 – Running Backs Coach, UCLA
The Bruins rushed for a total of 1,039 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, eclipsing the 100-yard mark in three wins against Nebraska, Iowa and USC. Running back T.J. Harden led the UCLA backfield with 536 rushing yards on 124 attempts for an average of 4.1 yards per carry. Redshirt senior Keegan Jones and transfer Jalen Berger each saw action in backup roles, totaling 188 and 182 yards rushing, respectively. Harden recorded UCLA’s lone 100-yard rushing performance of the season versus the Hawkeyes, totaling 125 yards on 20 carries. UCLA’s running backs were heavily involved in the passing game, accounting for 646 of the team’s 2,906 receiving yards. Harden ranked second on the team with 40 receptions for 368 yards while Jones hauled in 19 catches for 201 yards. In the Bruins’ 35-32 win at Rutgers on Oct. 19, Harden, Jones and Berger each took a pass into the endzone for a touchdown while Jones recorded a career-high 114 receiving yards.
Thomas left UCLA in 2022 to become director of player personnel at his alma mater, Navy. He was chosen in 2023 to coach the slot backs, a position in which he starred for the Midshipmen from 2010-13. With Thomas on staff, Navy ball carriers ranked 17th nationally in rushing offense (194.6 yards per game). He joined the San Jose State staff as running backs coach under Ken Niumatalolo in January 2024.
During his initial stop with the Bruins, Thomas assisted offensive coaches off the field in basic game planning, opponent breakdown, opponent personnel and opponent tendencies. He worked specifically with Foster and the running backs in 2020 and 2021, helping UCLA to top-20 scoring and rushing offenses both years.
Zach Charbonnet, a third-round draft pick of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks in 2022, led the Pac-12 with seven games of 100 or more rushing yards as the Bruins scored a league-leading 36.5 points per game in 2021. The 2020 rushers, paced by future NFL backs Brittain Brown and Demetric Felton Jr., gained a conference-best 230.6 yards per game – an uptick of 80.4 yards per game from the 2019 campaign.
Thomas graduated from the Naval Academy in 2014, earning four varsity letters. The Mids registered a 31-20 record during his tenure, claiming the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy twice and beating Army all four times. Navy played in three bowl games with Thomas, winning the 2013 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl by a 24-6 margin against Middle Tennessee.
Individually, Thomas made Phil Steele’s All-Independent second team as a kick returner in 2011 and received All-Independent honorable mention acclaim in 2012 and 2013. He earned All-East recognition from the Eastern College Athletic Conference in 2013. Thomas was honored with the Napoleon McCallum Award, which is presented annually to the graduating Navy varsity football player with the most career all-purpose yards.
Thomas is Navy’s all-time leader in kickoff return yardage with 2,338 yards. Against East Carolina in 2011, he opened the second half with a touchdown return of 90 yards. Thomas also found the end zone once each on the ground and through the air.
Thomas spent five years in the United States Marine Corps, including serving as the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 36 Detachment Officer in charge of 55 Marines for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, a forward deployed contingency-response unit in the Pacific theatre and an Aviation Supply Officer in Okinawa, Japan where he led a team of 42 Marines, providing logistics and supply support to more than 2,000 Marines with Marine Aircraft Group 36 consisting of 58 aircraft.
THOMAS’ COACHING EXPERIENCE
2019 – Director of Strategic Intelligence, UCLA
2020, 2021 – Offensive Analyst, UCLA
2022 – Director of Player Personnel, Navy
2023 – Offensive Assistant/Slot Backs, Navy
2024 – Running Backs Coach, UCLA
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