Family Ties: Thomas Harper Talks on His Performance and Older Brother's NFL Success
STILLWATER, Okla.– On the Oklahoma State Cowboys football team, the family dynamic is something that is greatly valued, both literally and figuratively. This statement rings true when it comes to senior safety Thomas Harper and his NFL brother, Devin Harper.
“I’m really excited for him,” Harper said of Devin’s opportunity with the Dallas Cowboys. “I’m glad that he stayed and waited it out but hopefully he keeps doing what he does and hopefully we just keep winning.”
After the first two games, Harper got an idea of what the next level of play is like through talking with the older Harper over the phone. While the conversation was more casual and focused on Devin’s performance, the NFL’s priorities were made clear to Thomas.
“It’s just a job up there, you got to do your job,” Harper said as he described what he’s learned from his brother about the NFL. “It’s really cutthroat, so you have to bring your best every day.”
While the National Football League is cutthroat and strictly performance-based, just like a regular job, the opportunities, money, and stage that come with it are simply unmatched. Seeing that that stage is a real possibility for him through his older brother, Harper is excited for what’s to come.
“It motivated me a lot,” the younger Harper brother said on seeing how similar his situation is this year to his brother’s last year. “It just kind of reassured me that my time will come and when it comes just take advantage of it and don’t get down, because I knew my time was probably going to come and it’s my time right now.”
With the confidence that comes, in part, with seeing first-hand what it takes to succeed nationally, Harper has a very high ceiling for what he can do with the OSU Cowboys this season. In his first two games of the 2022 season, Harper already has half (10) the number of total tackles that he finished the 2021 season with (20).
“It was definitely better,” Harper said when asked about improved communication this past Saturday. “Seeing things before they happen, expecting different types of motions, we still have a lot to improve on. From game one to game two we improved a lot and I think that was just due to us and the game slowing down. It’s also realizing that we have to expect motions and not just be locked in on what set it is, hopefully it’ll keep improving as the season goes on.”
While his older brother is undoubtedly a mentor figure in his life, Harper has also picked up a few things from other Cowboys along the way.
“I also learned a lot from [Kolby Harvell-] Peel, just the way he prepared and the way he played the game, he was really intellectual,” Harper mentioned. “It was more film study and stuff like that for him. Then, I learned a lot coverage-wise from Tanner [McCalister]. He was a good cover safety, Tre [Sterling] as well, just learning how to watch film and prepare for what my opponent is probably going to do.”
As the final non-conference game for Oklahoma State approaches this weekend, it’s the last chance for the Cowboys to get the kinks out of their system and prepare for a Big-12 Championship rematch against the Baylor Bears. However, this game is still not something to count Arkansas-Pine Bluff out of immediately.
“At the end of the day, they’re going to come here to beat us,” Harper said of the Golden Lions. “They’re going to come with their A-game and we can’t take anybody lightly. They look good on film and they’ve been putting up points so we just have to take them seriously and not take this game lightly.”
The Cowboys and Golden Lions are both 2-0 going into Saturday’s matchup. Keep an eye out for both Harpers on the field this weekend, one playing in Stillwater and one playing in Arlington.