Thomas Harper

Safety, Detroit Lions · #12.

Player facts

Team: Detroit Lions
Position: Safety
Number: 12
Born: Nov 5, 2000 (age 25)
Birthplace: Knoxville, TN, USA
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 195 lbs
College: Notre Dame
Experience: 3 seasons
Status: Day-To-Day

Stats

2026 Defense

	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	FF	FR	YDS	INT	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	PD	STF	STFYDS	KB
Regular Season	5	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	2	0	0	0
Career	68	44	24	0.5	1	1	0	2	14	7.0	0	14	9	1.5	2	0

Recent games

			Tackles				Fumbles		Interceptions
Date	Opponent	Result	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	FF	FR	INT	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	PD	KB
Thu, Sep 17	@ BUF	L 41-31	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	1	0
Sun, Sep 13	vs NO	W 31-30 OT	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	1	0

Last 2 games. Click a game for its box score.

About

Thomas Westley Harper (born November 5, 2000) is an American professional football safety for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL draft.

From Wikipedia’s article on Thomas Harper (American football), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.¹

Background

Early life

Harper was born on November 5, 2000, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He grew up playing basketball before trying out for the Karns High School football team as a sophomore. With the Karns football team, he became a top wide receiver and defensive back. He was an all-district, all-region and team MVP selection while being the first player in school history with over 1,000 receiving yards.

Harper totaled 1,086 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior, being named all-state, and then had 1,279 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior, also ending his high school career with 155 tackles, 16 passes defended and three interceptions. A two-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the only Power Five program to give him an offer, which allowed him to join his brother Devin, a linebacker.

College career

Harper appeared in 12 games as a true freshman in 2019, mainly on special teams, recording 13 tackles. The following year, he appeared in all 11 games, one as a starter, and recorded 31 tackles while earning second-team Academic All-Big 12 Conference honors. In 2021, he played 12 games and totaled 20 tackles with 1.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs). He won a starting role in 2022. That year, he made 30 tackles and 1.5 TFLs while appearing in seven games.

In 2023, Harper transferred to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for his final season of eligibility. With Notre Dame, he appeared in 11 games and posted 39 tackles, six TFLs, three passes defended and two sacks. He opted out of the team's 2023 Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State due to injury.