Penn State's secondary already figured to be a concern this season, and the group took a hit Friday when coach Bill O'Brien announced that junior cornerback Derrick Thomas has left the team for personal reasons.
Thomas frequently found himself in Joe Paterno's doghouse the past two years, with several off-the-field issues preventing him from getting more playing time. He also had to miss the TicketCity Bowl last season because of academic reasons.
On Penn State's summer depth chart, Thomas was listed as a co-first team right cornerback with sophomore Adrian Amos. Taking Thomas out of the equation is a blow for a secondary that already faced depth concerns trying to replace all four starters.
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Thomas played in the first four games of the 2010 season as a redshirt freshman and recorded three tackles. He appeared in nine games last season and made four tackles.
Thomas is the third player to leave the football team this summer, following cornerback Curtis Drake and receiver Devon Smith.
- Cory Giger
(Correction applied July 2 to indicate Thomas is the third player to leave the football team.)
