Dorian Thomas

Redshirt junior tight end for California. 2025: 56 catches, 560 receiving yards, 4 TD.

TE · California · R-Jr. · #7

6′4″ · 255 lb · Kent, WA · Kentridge HS

CFB Index 76 · #9 of 156 TEsMedium-low confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamTransferred New Mexico → California for 2026

Next upSat Sep 19 · 3:30 pm ETvs WagnerCalifornia Memorial Stadium

The numbers

560

receiving yards · 2025

56 catches · 4 TD · 10 per catch

Best game: 10 rec, 71 yds, 2 TD, at Michigan

His career numbers, season by season

The story

3 tight end for California. 2025: 56 catches, 560 receiving yards, 4 TD.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Arizona in 2023.
Transferred from New Mexico to California in 2026.

His career, year by year

How he plays

Shows up in the passing game from any alignment.

TD rate: 72nd percentile.

The full scouting read

Dorian Thomas

TE · California · Jr

Shows up in the passing game from any alignment. New Mexico to California — the move that set up everything since. In 2025 the league put his name on paper for the first time: All-Mountain West. The receipt on tape: 79 rec yds, 6 receptions against New Mexico State, Week 5, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
portal record
recognition record
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2025New Mexico9-4HC: Jason Eck · Run-leaning

Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

76All-Conference level #9 of 156?

Medium-low confidence11 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: receptions (99th percentile). Strength: rec yards (95th percentile). Concern: fumbles lost (3rd percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

TD rate#225 / 798 · 72nd pct

4.1%

Explosive rate#296 / 798 · 63rd pct

12.2%

EPA / target#409 / 798 · 49th pct

0.41

Catch rate#409 / 798 · 49th pct

67.6%

Yards / catch#491 / 798 · 39th pct

10.6

Box-score rates (6)

Receptions#3 / 175 · 99th pct

Rec yards#8 / 175 · 95th pct

560

Rec TDs#27 / 175 · 80th pct

Long catch#86 / 175 · 49th pct

Yards / catch#106 / 175 · 39th pct

10.0

Fumbles lost#32 / 33 · 3rd pct

Season trend

EPA / target— first qualifying season

Explosive rate— first qualifying season

Catch rate— first qualifying season

TD rate— first qualifying season

Yards / catch— first qualifying season

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Situational

Situational · Share of own targets (PBP, 2025)

Third-down role

12%9 of his 74 targets came on third down · TE median is 22%

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home6g	4.3	47.7	11.0	0.2
Road7g	4.3	39.1	9.6	0.4

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	5.0	51.9	10.8	0.6
Weeks 8+6g	3.5	32.8	9.6	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Tosh Lupoi

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

our read the All-Conference 1st team honor is earned — and the box score backs it up emphatically: #9 of 156 FBS tight ends by CFB Index Score.2025 profile

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

76 · #9 of 156 TEs

Three-star recruit. Now #9 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	New Mexico	56	560	10.0	4	--
Career		56	560	10.0	4	--

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 7 · Boise State · 4&4 · Q4 · EPA +3.81James Laubstein pass complete to Dorian Thomas for 26 yds to the BOIS 32 for a 1ST down
Week 8 · Nevada · 2&6 · Q2 · EPA +3.39Jack Layne pass complete to Dorian Thomas for 28 yds to the NEV 42 for a 1ST down Nevada Penalty, Face Mask (15 yards) (AJ Odums) to the NEV 27 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Michigan · 4&1 · Q2 · EPA +2.94D.J. McKinney pass complete to Dorian Thomas for 9 yds for a TD (Luke Drzewiecki KICK)
Week 5 · New Mexico State · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +2.84Jack Layne pass complete to Dorian Thomas for 34 yds to the NMSU 41 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Michigan · 3&3 · Q3 · EPA +2.62Jack Layne pass complete to Dorian Thomas for 3 yds for a TD (Luke Drzewiecki KICK)
Week 12 · Colorado State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.60(07:30) Shotgun #2 J.Layne pass complete deep left to #7 D.Thomas caught at UNM47, for 30 yards to the CSU45 (#4 J.Rogers), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
Week 3 · UCLA · 2&9 · Q2 · EPA +2.43Jack Layne pass complete to Dorian Thomas for 20 yds to the UNM 45 for a 1ST down
Week 5 · New Mexico State · 2&2 · Q3 · EPA +2.34Jack Layne pass complete to Dorian Thomas for 24 yds for a TD (Luke Drzewiecki KICK)
Week 7 · Boise State · 2&8 · Q2 · EPA +2.07Jack Layne pass complete to Dorian Thomas for 24 yds to the BOIS 1 for a 1ST down
Week 2 · Idaho State · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +2.01Jack Layne pass complete to Dorian Thomas for 22 yds to the IDST 48 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	L 17-34@ Michigan	10	71	7.1	2	12	2 TD catches
Wk 2	W 32-22vs Idaho State	5	56	11.2	0	25
Wk 3	W 35-10@ UCLA	3	41	13.7	0	20
Wk 5	W 38-20vs New Mexico State	6	79	13.2	1	34	Season-high 79 yds
Wk 6	L 28-35@ San José State	4	40	10.0	0	15
Wk 7	L 25-41@ Boise State	4	61	15.3	1	26
Wk 8	W 24-22vs Nevada	5	56	11.2	0	28
Wk 9	W 33-14vs Utah State	2	19	9.5	0	17
Wk 10	W 40-35@ UNLV	4	29	7.3	0	17
Wk 12	W 20-17vs Colorado State	3	45	15.0	0	30
Wk 13	W 20-3@ Air Force	2	17	8.5	0	10
Wk 14	W 23-17vs San Diego State	5	31	6.2	0	10
Bowl	L 17-20@ Minnesota	3	15	5.0	0	11
Total		56	560	10.2	4	34

How he plays

Play style

No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.

CFB Index positional classification

DNA match

Player DNA

Complete TE

No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Ja'Tavion Sanders’s 2022 season.

Ja'Tavion Sanders

70%match

Texas · 2022

All-Big 12NFL Rd 4

Joel Wilson

Central Michigan · 2022

All-MAC

68%

Jack Endries

California · 2024

NFL Rd 7

67%

Sam LaPorta

Iowa · 2021

All-Big TenNFL Rd 2 · Pk 3

66%

Colston Loveland

Michigan · 2024

All-Big TenNFL Rd 1 · Pk 10

66%

Matches Ja'Tavion on

Weight

EPA / play (adj)

Total EPA (college ability)

Differs from Ja'Tavion on

Recruiting rating (lower)

Class year (higher)

Through 1 college season, his career arc tracks closest to Austin Hence’s path through Western Michigan.

Austin Hence

93%match

Western Michigan · 2023

Ben Bresnahan

Vanderbilt · 2022

86%

Niko Hea

Missouri · 2021

83%

Josiah Miamen

Florida International · 2024

80%

Hayden Pittman

UAB · 2021

All-Conference USA

76%

Matches Austin on

Height

Yards per reception

Weight

As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Jack Endries's freshman season at California (2023).

Jack Endries

75%match

California · 2023

All-SECNFL Rd 7

Joshua Long

Eastern Michigan · 2025

All-MAC

71%

Mason Mini

California · 2025

69%

Brady Hunt

Ball State · 2022

All-MAC

68%

Chigoziem Okonkwo

Maryland · 2021

NFL Rd 4

68%

Matches Jack on

TD rate

Yards / reception

Differs from Jack on

Reception volume (higher)

Class year (lower)

EPA / play (adj) (lower)

Background

Accolades - Athletic Athlon Sports Preseason Third-Team All-ACC (2026) John Mackey Award Watch List (2026) Shriners Children's East-West Bowl 1000 (2026) First-Team All-Mountain West (2025) Redshirt Sophomore (2025) - New Mexico Listed as the No. 6 tight end in the 2026 transfer portal by both 24...

via calbears.com ↗

The tight end room · California

Dorian ThomasTE · R-Jr.560 receiving yards · 2025
#85Mason MiniTE · R-Jr.387 receiving yards · 2025
#8Rico WalkerTE · Sr.100 receiving yards · 2025
#39Michael CooleyTE · R-Jr.no box-score line yet
#90Jack OlyphantTE · R-So.no box-score line yet

3 more on the roster · California team page

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

2023

2024

202513 games

2026

2025 snapshot

Situational

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference 1st team

Career stats

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Complete TE

Background

The tight end room · California