SIUE

Daryl Thomas took over as the Head Coach of SIUE wrestling on April 1, 2026. It previously had been announced in September 2025 that he would become the head coach after serving as the program's Associate Head Coach since November 2021.

His effect on SIUE wrestling already has been evident, helping guide the Cougars to an 11-2 dual match record during the 2025-26 season. That was SIUE's best dual match record since the 1985-86 season.

The Cougars have grown in performance with Thomas on the bench. In the 2025-26 season, SIUE wrestling won the Mid-American Conference West Division for the first time and recorded its best-ever finish in any conference tournament with a third-place showing at the 2026 Mid-American Conference Championships in Buffalo. Three SIUE wrestlers would move on to the NCAA Tournament. Since joining the program seven SIUE wrestlers have advanced to the NCAA Championships, including Caleb Tyus who posted the best-ever in-season national ranking at No. 2 nationwide at 149 pounds.

Thomas, a native of Edwardsville, previously was an assistant coach at Campbell, where he helped lead the Camels to one of the best seasons in program history. Seven Campbell wrestlers earned spots at the 2021 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. The Camels also claimed their third straight Southern Conference regular season and tournament championships. The team was ranked as high as 19^th nationally by InterMat.
 
Thomas holds significant experience in collegiate wrestling having two seasons as an assistant at Old Dominion. Prior to ODU, Thomas spent one year as the head coach at Lincoln College, leading the Lynx to a fourth-place finish in the NJCAA National Tournament. He was named NJCAA Midwest District Coach of the Year.

He also was an assistant coach at Northern Illinois during the 2015 and 2016 season. Five Huskies earned NCAA National Tournament qualifying spots during his tenure.
 
Thomas was part of the Edwardsville High School coaching staff after completing his bachelor’s degree in communications at Illinois in 2013. He helped his alma mater advance four wrestlers to the Illinois state tournament while the Tigers finished the 2014 regular season with a school-record 28-0 dual mark and a Southwestern Conference title.
 
At Illinois, Thomas was a two-time place winner at the Big Ten Championships in 2012 and 2013, finishing sixth each time. He completed his collegiate career with a 53-47 record with six pins. He advanced to the NCAA Championships as a senior and was ranked as high as seventh by WIN Magazine as a senior. He finished third at the 2012 ASICS USA Wrestling University Nationals to earn Freestyle All-American honors.
 
A 2008 graduate of Edwardsville High School, Thomas was a three-time state qualifier with a career record of 111-23. He set records for single-season takedowns (183) and career takedowns (401).

Thomas earned his bachelor's degree from Illinois in communications in the spring of 2013. In 2022, he received his master's degree in management and leadership from Western Governors University.