Jared Thames enters his third season as an assistant coach at UT Permian Basin, and his second in charge of tight ends. Thames spent one season as the offensive line assistant and helped coach the best offensive line in program history, as the Falcons had the most rushing yards while giving up the fewest sacks.
Falcon tight ends made their impact blocking in the spring of 2021 with the offensive line banged up. Matt Zubiate was fourth on the Falcons in receptions and averaged 9.2 yards per catch. Zubiate only caught one touchdown, but it might have come in the biggest moment of the season. Facing fourth-and-six and trailing by a touchdown in overtime against Midwestern State, Zubiate caught a floating pass to set up the game-winning two-point conversion to complete the undefeated spring season.
Thames is a familiar face to the program as he the first commit in Falcon Football history. A former Falcon captain, Thames registered 39 tackles and three sacks while plugging up the middle of the defensive line. He followed the coaching staff from Tarleton State where he played his first two seasons of eligibility. Thames registered 57 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, and four sacks while at Tarleton.
