MOBILE, Ala. — Adam and Stacey Thomas will be in the stands at Neyland Stadium on Saturday night when No. 16 Tennessee hosts No. 7 Kentucky in an SEC game with huge stakes. For them, the game means something different than it does for anyone else in the building.
Their twin sons will be on opposite sides for the first time in their athletic careers.
Trent Thomas has started all eight games at tight end for Tennessee. Tyler Thomas is a defensive end for Kentucky. Their father is the athletic director and head basketball coach at Cottage Hill Christian in Mobile.
“As a parent, I am really just taking it all in,” Adam Thomas said. “It’s a really special time for our family. Their entire lives they have been side by side and not head up. I’m excited about the opportunity for them and excited as a dad to see them on that stage. I will say I’m a little anxious about it since this is the first time they could actually be going one-on-one.”
Parallel paths to the SEC
The twins were born Jan. 21, 2005, with Tyler the older by one minute. Both starred in football and basketball at Cottage Hill Christian.
Tyler transferred to Kentucky this year after two seasons at South Alabama and one at UAB. Trent transferred to Tennessee after three years at South Alabama. Both are seniors with a year of eligibility left after this season.
“It’s just a really proud moment for their mom and I,” Adam Thomas said. “To see the hard work they’ve put into everything they’ve done whether it is academics or athletics – I’m definitely proud of their efforts. I feel like all of their hard work is coming to fruition. Games don’t get much bigger than this game. I feel like it’s right in line with what they’ve set out to do with their entire lives.”
Long nights on the road
It has been a busy fall for the family. Adam and Stacey’s youngest son, Trevor, is a senior on the Cottage Hill football team, which makes for long weekends.
“Typically, we take off after Trevor’s game on Friday night and go to whichever team is playing a home game that weekend,” Adam Thomas said. “There have been a lot of late night and overnight drives. We will do the same thing this week. Cottage Hill plays Trinity in the playoffs on Friday night in Montgomery. When we finish there, we will drive to Knoxville, get a couple of hours sleep and then get to the stadium.”
A split jersey
As for what the family will wear, Stacey has that covered.
“My wife has made a split jersey with half Tennessee and half Kentucky,” Adam said. “I think I will try to stay neutral, maybe wear something gray or black and try to blend in as much as I can.”
Both Kentucky and Tennessee were idle last week, which let Trent and Tyler come home to Mobile for Trevor’s Senior Night game at Cottage Hill.
“Obviously, the hard part for us as a family is we celebrate with one son and kind of talk the other through a defeat,” Adam said. “But we are embracing all of that. As an athletic family, we are kind of used to it.”
Kickoff is set for 5:15 p.m. Central on Saturday.
