Thomas Gordon: Path To The NFL Draft

By Simon Carroll

How do you quantify commitment? It’s a term synonymous with sport; the lengths you are prepared to go to improve the chances of success for yourself and your team. Football of course is no exception – if anything, dedication pervades the game everywhere you look.

Thomas Gordon has been faithful to football for almost two decades. The gridiron has dictated his life for as long as he can remember. And, when it came to the school that gave him an opportunity to play the sport he loves, their faith was rewarded with six seasons of unwavering loyalty. The former Northwestern tight end sits down with Simon Carroll to discuss his path to the NFL Draft:

H-Town

Known as ‘Space City’ thanks to being the home of NASA’s headquarters, Houston, Texas, might be most famous for its links to space exploration. But with an NFL team, a Power-4 college program and all the ‘Friday Night Lights’ that come with life in the Lone Star State, football undoubtedly comes a close second. Growing up in one of the sport’s hottest of hotbeds, Thomas Gordon was exposed to football from an early age. And like most boys in that area, he was immediately hooked:

“I come from a Catholic family, and went to a Catholic school my whole life. And the only thing that comes close to faith down here in Texas is football! Football is king around here – and I’ve played it almost all of my life. Started out playing flag football in first grade, before moving up to tackle in the second grade. That makes it about seventeen, eighteen years playing the sport now, which is kinda crazy! But it’s in your blood; I grew up watching high school games on a Friday night, playing in the field behind whilst the games were going on. I just wanted to play the game at every opportunity.”

Athletic endeavors came naturally to Gordon, who tried his hand at various sports. Ultimately though, his destiny would be on the gridiron – a place more suited to his size and exuberance:

“My family isn’t particularly heavy into sports, although I remember my father enjoying games, I used to watch them with him as a kid. And I was very athletic from an early age, so he put me in all sports possible. But I was a little too physical for some of them! They got me out of soccer quite quickly, got me in pads, and I also played quite a bit of basketball too through high school. But football was always the main focus – it’s an obsession down here, it’s just what people do.”

The Road To Evanston

Thomas Gordon pursued his passion at high school. Playing both wide receiver and tight end in a spread offense under a familiar NFL name, Gordon would put up some outlandish numbers at Strake Jesuit College Prep, finishing with more than 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns. It wasn’t long before it became apparent a college career was in the offing:

“My high school coach was Klint Kubiak, Gary Kubiak’s son. Working under him was awesome, and he used to tell me I could be as good as I wanted to be, if I kept working hard. I had a lot of trust in his direction for me, and I was all in on the plan. That sophomore year, I broke the school record for catches, and I knew that I wasn’t even that good yet! I had ball skills, but I knew if I took all the other aspects seriously this could be a real opportunity for me. That Summer was when I got my first offers, and I knew at that point what was going to happen. The next two years were all about getting better.”

Thomas Gordon finished his high school career strongly, earning various all-district and all-state nominations. He’s deemed a 3-star recruit by the usual outlets, and has a robust recruiting experience, receiving north of twenty offers to play college football. Particularly notable was the level of interest from schools with elite academic prestige – Gordon had offers from multiple Ivy League schools including Harvard and Yale, as well as Duke, Tulane and of course Northwestern. Thomas was obviously proud of the attention, and education was a factor – but football was always the main focus:

“Oddly, going to an elite academic university wasn’t the biggest priority, despite all the offers from the top schools I was privileged to receive. But at the same time, I wanted to use the game of football to my advantage, and it allowed me to go to a school I might not have been able to get into otherwise. Football, for many that age, can be a vehicle to better means. I love the game and it was undoubtedly my focus going to college, but I wasn’t foolish enough to ignore the opportunities it gave me. So going somewhere where I could leave with a really good degree definitely became a consideration.”

Ultimately, it was Evanston, 17 hours north of Houston, that would offer the perfect balance of academic respect and a strong football program:

“Northwestern was a full scholarship offer from the Big Ten, and that’s a conference that churns out the best tight ends in the nation. I loved the family atmosphere, the staff there and the players already on campus. And then there’s the proximity to an awesome city in Chicago, and the prestige of the university too. All in all, it felt like a home run hit at the time, And six years later, I can honestly say it was a great decision.”

Early Career Highlights

Thomas Gordon would redshirt his first season at Northwestern, before seeing the field in 2020. Whilst it was a tough year for almost all student athletes due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Wildcats have one of their best seasons in recent memory, finishing 7-2, going to the Big Ten Championship Game, and winning a big bowl game. It’s a landmark year for Gordon, who doesn’t mind admitting that the success of that campaign may have given him a false impression of what was to come the rest of his time in Evanston:

“It was an incredible first season playing for me. Being able to be involved predominantly on special teams, a role I really enjoy, and have the season like we had was special. We had a quarterback called Ryan Hilinski, one of my best friends, who was incredible, and I thought this was how it would be the rest of the way! Keep working hard, keep winning games, keep getting better. Obviously football isn’t like that, and there would be ups and downs in subsequent seasons. But considering how tough things were during COVID, it was a proud moment winning the Citrus Bowl for sure.”

2021 would soon give Gordon some balance when it came to team expectations, Northwestern falling back to just 3 wins that year. Despite that, Thomas hits another milestone, finally being rotated into Mike Bajakian’s offense:

“After all the restrictions of COVID, I was just relieved that the next year was a lot more normal. We could just have fun again! And I’m starting to see the field on offense too. I’ll always remember that moment of making my first catch; it was against Wisconsin, and I actually got negative yardage! But to hear your name announced – it might be just a catch to some and sound silly, but it took a while for me to get that first one. I cherished moments like that, because you’re guaranteed nothing in football.”

By the end of the 2022 season, three wins may have seemed like a dream. Northwestern bottom out, winning just once the whole year. Incredibly, it came in their first game, a shock defeat of Nebraska in the ‘College Football Classic’ in Ireland. Gordon recalls the trip to the Emerald Isle, memorable for events both on and off the field:

“Dublin was the most fun I’ve ever had. We got out there five days before the game, toured all these different events, saw too many sites to remember them all! But I remember some Irish dancing, and how good the food was. And then the game, in Week 0 with the whole country back home watching, and me starting off strong with two catches for 39 yards in the first quarter, it was amazing. It was a crazy game which we won, and then stayed for two more days before heading back. It’s one of my favorite memories.”

Overcoming Adversity

Four years into his time at Northwestern, Thomas Gordon is primed to break out as one of the leaders on the Wildcat team. But 2023 is remembered for something much more shocking and dramatic for the football program. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald is dismissed as head coach just a month before the season begins amid serious allegations of hazing within the program, accusations that continue legally to this day. Gordon is reluctant to talk specifics with the case still working its way through the legal system, but he acknowledged the significant impact it had on him and his teammates:

“It was tough. Fitz [Coach Fitzgerald] had recruited everyone on that roster, and everyone came to play for him. He was a legend as a player and as a coach there – in fact, he was probably the best player AND best coach of all time at Northwestern. So to see him leave was incredibly sad on a personal level, but it was also a big culture shift. And we had to reset real quick, because it happened just thirty days before the start of the season. The whole locker room was down as you can imagine. But we stuck together through it – a few freshmen transferred out, but only one guy in his sophomore year or above left. It was hectic, but we really banded together to come through that adversity.”

Despite adversity on a scale that would have sank other football programs, interim head coach David Braun does an incredible job of rallying the team. The Wildcats go 8-5 with another bowl win – and Gordon enjoys his own personal success too, catching the first touchdown of his Northwestern career. The tight end was evolving into a multi-faceted weapon on offense:

“That was fun getting that first touchdown. I had some sweet plays the year before, but getting into the endzone is pretty magical. I was kind of an all-round tight end who could and would do anything the team asked. We ran a lot of pro style offense, a bit more wide zone stuff in my final year, so I’ve seen quite a diverse playbook. I was never labeled a receiving tight end or a blocking tight end – I could do both, and it allowed me to play the majority of the snaps my last two years at Northwestern. The coaches asked quite a bit of me because they trusted me – they knew I could get it done for them. Being used in different ways, relied on like that, it was fun.”

Ending On A High

Gordon would take advantage of his COVID year and return for one more season with Northwestern. It would be the perfect end to a college career that he had earned the hard way, finishing 2024 with 27 catches for 250 yards and a touchdown. I ask him if there was any thought of heading elsewhere for the final campaign. The answer was pretty emphatic:

“Obviously you consider all options available to you. But truthfully, there was never a moment where I wanted to leave. It was home to me – I was tight with a lot of people there, and I always had this drive to help that team get better. I never doubted we could make it work at Northwestern, and I don’t think a final year like that somewhere else would have felt the same.”

In the modern college football era where loyalty is less of a commodity than in previous generations, it’s refreshing to find a dose of integrity. Gordon was understanding of the choices his fellow student athletes now have, and he’s grateful that control has been wrested towards players a little more than used to be the case. But for him, he was all in – he would be a Wildcat for life:

“It’s a new era now. Some guys, they’ll leave college football with two, three, four schools on their resume – and I think it’s a good thing for opportunity. Some guys want more snaps, some may want to explore NIL options, others just want a new challenge. But when I look back at my college career, I’m most proud of giving my all to one school, where we faced a lot of challenging situations. A lot of kids would have left. COVID, coaching changes, being buried on the depth chart – there were a lot of things. But I wanted to be a part of the solution at all times. I think that shows the kind of character I bring to a locker room – you won’t find me jumping ship when times get tough.”

"I'm A Guy That Can Run At 250lbs"

Thomas Gordon may not have had a college career that glitters on a stat sheet. But his dedication to his team, coaches and teammates, as well as commitment to the process of continuous growth, is obvious. And now, as he turns his attention to an NFL career, it says a lot about how those traits are valued by pro teams when you consider the attention he received at a recent scouting opportunity in Fort Worth:

“Going back to Texas for the College Gridiron Showcase was an amazing experience. I got to speak to eleven or twelve NFL teams; the Jaguars, Chiefs, Texans and Bears showed some interest which was cool. A lot of it was background information they were looking for, to get a better understanding of the kind of person I was. But some of them got into schematics with me, asked me to draw up plays against different coverages which was pretty cool. And sometimes it felt like they wanted to see how you reacted to things. I’m confident in those kinds of situations, so I’m happy with how the event went.”

Back home in Houston, Gordon is knuckling down. Working with former Houston Texans GM Rick Smith, he’s learning how best to make an impression in interviews in the three months left before the NFL Draft is here. On the field, he knows exactly what he needs to show when scouts head up to Evanston in March:

“It’s full-on prep right now. This is like my sixth or seventh week – as soon as my season ended, I got back to Houston to begin my training. So it’s all about trying to be the best version of myself for when scouts come and watch me at my Pro Day on march 18th; I’m working with Dynamic Sports Training, a slightly smaller outfit that works for me, gives me that bespoke training and can take care of me more one on one. And the goal is to show them that I’m a guy that can run at 250lbs. It really is that simple – demonstrating that I have the size to take on NFL defensive ends, but also outrun linebackers in the passing game. So run a good forty, show my elite change of direction – which WILL turn heads – and leave an impression.”

It’s not easy to remain humble when you’re trying to sell yourself in what is now one long period of self-promotion, but Gordon is naturally keen to praise the mentors he has worked with through his career to date. Along with his admiration for Smith and Kubiak, he conveyed his appreciation for Pat Fitzgerald, the person who recruited him to Northwestern and gave him the platform to be in this position today. Considering the legal issues surrounding his former head coach, it would have been easy for Gordon not to mention him – but I don’t think he is built that way. It’s clear this tight end is a man of principle. 

A Do-It-All Tight End

Humility should not be mistaken for a lack of confidence. Thomas Gordon is fully aware of what he can do on a football field, and perhaps we haven’t even scratched the surface yet. In a career with two head coaches, three offensive coordinators and three tight end coaches, there isn’t much out on the gridiron that Gordon has not seen:

“I can do anything an NFL team asks of me. I can line up in the backfield at fullback, inline, do a backside cutoff on the defensive end, put me out wide and have me block on screens and running backs, track zones, and catch the ball when it comes my way. And special teams – I’m not just willing to do it, I LOVE doing it. Give me a role on any unit and I’ll deliver.”

Gordon cuts a relaxed figure, but when he delivers statements there’s an intense nature to his answers that gives you no reason to question the veracity of them. He’s been playing football for eighteen years, and has worked all his life to this point. And yet, despite that, Gordon will likely choose a more muted draft weekend than some of his peers:

“I’ll just be hanging out with my family, trying to keep cool! We’ll see what happens that weekend; I’m not a big party guy, and I don’t want a ton of people round for it. I like to just keep to myself really, have my close loved ones with me. This is my childhood dream, and if somebody called it would mean the world to me. I’ve worked very hard at this game for a long time, and it’s hard to put into words how much I enjoy playing it. I’ve come a long way from watching it on TV with my father, and I would be so grateful to get an opportunity to be on that screen myself.”

Mock Draft

SIMON CARROLL

lead writer/head of content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST, AND COVERS THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS FOR SB NATION.

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A huge thank you to Thomas for taking the time to talk to us. Everyone at The Touchdown wishes him well in his future career.