He was DaMarcus Thomas at Ole Miss, but upon transferring to South Alabama he changed his name to D.J. Thomas-Jones to honor his stepfather. But it was Thomas-Jones' mother who caused D.J.'s career path to veer back home to Mobile and then to Pittsurgh.
Thomas-Jones was signed after the 2025 draft by the Steelers to a $30,000 bonus, matching the record contract paid last year to QB John Rhys Plumlee. Thomas-Jones is a 6-2, 250-pounder with 4.65 speed and was a terrific in-line blocker at South Alabama. He also caught 73 passes for 653 yards and 11 TDs during in his three seasons there, and also played fullback.
The rookie is a man of few words, but those few words helped paint a more clear portait during this spring interview:
DJ THOMAS-JONES, TE/FB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Q: D.J., right?
DJT-J: What's up?
Q: You caught my attention with that signing bonus.
DJT-J: Yes, sir.
Q: What was that derby for your signature like?
DJT-J: It was really difficult as far as my process went. The day that I was called, I didn't have any power. I was outside, my phone had died, I'm trying to call my agent. I found out the last minute. It was crazy because I feel like I missed the calls that I wasn't supposed to answer, and I answered the one I was supposed to. I think it worked out exactly how it was supposed to.
Q: Were the Steelers trying to outbid anyone?
DJT-J: The Lions, but other than that, no, sir.
Q: It's almost better than getting drafted in the seventh round, right?
DJT-J: Yeah.
Q: So, were you dejected when you weren't drafted?
DJT-J: No. It made me want it even more. I've always been that kid who nobody pays any attention to. I went from Ole Miss to South Alabama. Nobody ever heard of South Alabama, so, I get it. I knew it was going to have to be a grind for me, and that's OK because I'm up for the challenge.
Q: Is that your playbook?
DJT-J: Yes, sir.
Q: Are you a studier?
DJT-J: Yes, sir.
Q: I don't see many guys studying in the locker room like this.
DJT-J: A lot of people do. Some people find different times to fit it in their schedule. Me? If I've got time, I'm going to look at it.
Q: I'm not asking what that's about, but what are you learning? Tight end? Fullback?
DJT-J: It's a little of everything. Sometimes I'm in the backfield at fullback; sometimes we use a two-RB formation; sometimes I could be in, I could be flexed out as a receiver, tight end. Really, I want to learn the scheme so that I know where I fit, where I need to be at the right time and the right place.
Q: That's going to take a lot of brainpower.
DJT-J: Yeah.
Q: Are you used to that? Is that how you played in college?
DJT-J: Yes, sir.
Q: I wouldn't think South Alabama's all that sophisticated.
DJT-J: Our offensive coordinator came from Alabama with Saban. Saban actually coached him, Rob Ezell. So he was picking his brain a little bit. That's somebody he really looked up to, which was cool.
Q: I liked that Alabama TE/FB, too. Robbie Ouzts? Do you know him?
DJT-J: Yes, sir.
Q: And you guys did the same thing as Alabama?
DJT-J: Yes, sir.
Q: Is this stuff overwhelming?
DJT-J: No, sir. You can't allow yourself to be overwhelmed. You take it a day at a time. You worry about where your feet are. That's the way I'm approaching it.
Q: What aspect is most important to you?
DJT-J: Any opportunity I'm given, I want to showcase it all. I don't want to just be labeled as a pass-catcher, a run-blocker, whatever the case may be. I want to be somebody who they say, "Hey, let's put him in there. We know he can do it." I've always wanted to be one of those guys.
Q: Are you getting any carries at all?
DJT-J: Yeah, I hope so. I hope so.
Q: They need a tush-push guy.
DJT-J: Exactly. I can do that as well.
Q: Why did you leave Ole Miss? Wasn't Jaxson Dart getting you the ball enough?
DJT-J: (Laughs) I got a call one day after a game that my mother was sick. They said she had cancer. So, the situation with my family is kind of all over the place. It's always been just me and my mom. My mom hasn't worked since 2014. I was in Mississippi getting my check from the school sent home so my mom could pay rent. I was the source of her income. Then once I got that call, I went into Coach (Lane) Kiffin's office and told him the situation. He hugged me and we had a moment and I told him I needed to do what's best for me. So he allowed me to go chase my dream home.
Q: Your mom's still alive?
DJT-J: Yes, sir. She's still here. Yes, sir.
Q: How's she doing?
DJT-J: She's great. She beat it.
Q: That's great news. You're still taking care of her?
DJT-J: Yes, sir.
Q: Where's home?
DJT-J: Mobile, Alabama.
Q: What can you tell me about growing up there? How did it affect your football career?
DJT-J: It actually changed a lot because I started out playing baseball. Football was something to do on the side. Baseball was No. 1 for me.
Q: Let me guess: You were the cleanup-hitting first baseman?
DJT-J: You know it. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Q: How did that change?
DJT-J: I was at p(ractice) one day fooling around, and I threw the football a little too far. Coach was like, "Hey, I think you should come play football." And it took off from there.
Q: You were a quarterback for a while?
DJT-J: A little bit, yes, sir. That was around middle school. I went from being quarterback to playing safety in middle school to being on offense as a receiver and then it really took off from there.
Q: If you could've done anything different, what would it have been?
DJT-J: I think I did everything I was supposed to. Everything happened the way it was supposed to happen, so I can't look back in the past. I can only look forward.
D.J. Thomas-Jones works with TE coach Alfredo Roberts during spring drills