It’s a view he’s seen time and time before. It’s one he now takes every opportunity he can to appreciate. But, it’s one that has changed as the years have gone by.

Seated at a table in the eighth floor press box of Memorial Stadium, Earnest Thomas III faces a wall of windows. Beneath, lies the familiar field and stands, but it’s what lies beyond the green that has Thomas thinking on his last season as an Illini football player.

Redshirting his freshman year, Thomas worked his way to become a regular starter at safety by his second season. This year he altered his role, moving to the team’s STAR position, a hybrid position that is able to switch back and forth playing at linebacker and safety.

He graduated with his bachelor’s in communications two semesters ago, but is finishing his eligibility while working on his master’s.

Pointing as he talks and a smile coming to his face, it’s easy to see Thomas has enjoyed his years at Illinois. From this angle, it’s a four-year compilation of campus locations that each have a special place in Thomas’ heart. And it’s from this bird’s eye view where Thomas can reflect.

“You get a chance to have those memories,” Thomas said. “You can look back on them and say, ‘Man, I really built a lot of things on this campus as far as relationships, bonds with certain people and just leaving behind something people that will remember you by,’ … I think that’s really special.”

From this perch, he can see the Quad.

He can see the Armory.

He can see his old dorm, Taft-Van Doren, where he met his roommate and best friend, former Illini Jonathan Brown.

But he sees it all with a shift in perspective. And he knows that time has changed this.

“If I came up here and did that (go up to the press box) my freshman year, it wouldn’t look anywhere near the same as it looks now,” Thomas said. “I remember everything looked so different to me then, but it’s all the same. Just different, I don’t know why, it’s funny to me.”

As he’s changed, he’s grown with the team and used his senior leadership this year to help guide Illinois.

“This senior class really had a chance to bring everyone full throttle,” Thomas said. “Just bringing everyone closer, bringing everyone together and getting everyone to really buy into what we’re doing.”

His performance at the Homecoming game led to a win against Minnesota that he’ll remember. The atmosphere with its electric crowd, the grey ghost-like Red Grange jerseys and his play all made the game one he’ll never forget.

Head coach Tim Beckman has realized what his seniors have done for the Illini.

“They’ve done a great job being role models to a young football team,” Beckman said. “So I can’t be more proud. As I told each and every one of them, I’ll do anything for them. They’ve definitely tried to do everything for us as a family here to make us better.”

It’s the people, places and moments like this that might make Thomas want to turn back the clock. But as his college football days dwindle, it’s his future he’s excited about.

Thomas wants to see how far he can take his playing career. After his days of suiting up are over, he wants to coach. For him, football is something that feels natural.

Outside linebackers coach and hybrid positions coach Al Seamonson has called Thomas a bigger picture player who is aware of more than just his position.

“Earnest is certainly a high energy guy, very focused on the game of football,” Seamonson said. “He’s very knowledgeable. He’s got football intelligence, football savvy. You’ve got to contain that sometimes, where you can’t try to do more than you’ve got to do, but I think he’s learned that as a player and he’ll learn that as a coach, too.”

But for now, he’s going to spend his last week as a football player soaking up his view from the press box. He will continue to help the younger team members and suggest that when their junior and senior years role around, they take a trip to the eighth floor.

“For the most part, I lived every single moment with no regrets and I’m proud of that,” Thomas said. “I’m not really one to dwell on the past a whole lot, so when my time is up here, it will be time, it will be time to move on to the next chapter of my life, next chapter of my career … For the most part I think I busted my butt here every day and I believe it will pay off in the end.”

Charlotte can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @charlottecrrll.