Western Carolina has its quarterback, and it's a name Wolfpack fans will recognize. According to On3's Pete Nakos, the Catamounts are naming NC State transfer Lex Thomas the starter for the 2026 season, capping off a spring and fall camp battle in Cullowhee.
Western Carolina is naming NC State transfer Lex Thomas its starting quarterback for the 2026 season, sources tell @On3. Played in four games with the Wolfpack in two seasons. Now steps in at Western Carolina, which visits Cincinnati in Week 3. t.co/kniLqGaePg
Thomas's path here is a classic portal story. A three-star prospect out of Heritage High in Wake Forest, he stuck around NC State for two seasons but never carved out real playing time behind the Wolfpack's other options, appearing in just 4 games total. He's also got bloodlines in Raleigh — younger brother of former NC State linebacker Drake Thomas and wideout Thayer Thomas — which made the jump to Wake Forest's crosstown program even more of a homegrown story before he ultimately left.
He hit the portal back in January and landed at Western Carolina in February, bringing 2 years of eligibility with him. Once he got to campus, the job wasn't just handed over — per reporting out of the program, Thomas was locked in a legitimate, "neck-and-neck" competition with returning redshirt sophomore Isaac Lee all offseason.
Winning that battle now hands Thomas an FCS program looking to build off recent momentum, and it comes with an immediate gut-check: a Week 3 road trip to Cincinnati, an FBS opponent that'll be the toughest test on the schedule right out of the gate.
For Thomas, it's a chance to finally be the guy after two years of waiting his turn behind a Power 4 depth chart. For Western Carolina, it's betting that a former high-major arm with limited game reps can still outproduce what's already on the roster. Either way, that Cincinnati trip is about to tell everyone a lot, fast.