Former South Carolina Gamecock football lineman and graduate assistant Dennis Thomas is set to become the defensive line coach at Western Carolina University, GamecockCentral.com has learned.

The Calhoun Falls native played for Brad Scott and Lou Holtz at South Carolina, and he also spent several seasons as a graduate assistant in Columbia under Steve Spurrier. While working under former defensive line coach Brad Lawing, Thomas assisted in developing players such as Jadeveon Clowney, Melvin Ingram, Travian Robertson, and Devin Taylor, Cliff Matthews, and Clifton Geathers among others.

This will be Thomas' second stint at Western Carolina, as he served as an assistant there from 2013-2015. He's also coached at Tusculum and Gardner-Webb.

At the high school level, Thomas served as an assistant under Shell Dula, where he coached Kelcy Quarles and DJ Swearinger.

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