Tavion Thomas was a 3-star recruit out of Dayton, Ohio and an All-Ohio first team player as a junior in high school. He committed to Cincinnati and never really became "the guy". He accumulated 689 rushing yards and 2 catches for 4 yards over his two seasons as a Bearcat. Tavion spent the following season at Independence Community College, where he racked up 347 rushing yads on his way to the Pac-12. In 2021, he transferred to Utah and saw instant production. Tavion Thomas rushed for ove 1,795 yards on 346 carries during his two final years as a Utah Ute. Thomas continued to have minimal involvement through the passing game totaling 8 catched for 46 yards.
