Jarae Thurmond joined the Georgia Southern support staff in 2022 after medical retirement from the U.S. Navy after 12 years of honorable service. Thurmond served onboard the USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60), USS Hopper (DDG 70) and Submarine Training Facility SD where he was awarded Instructor of the Year (2020) and Sailor of the Year (2021) for his command. This was while serving as a coach at Sweetwater High School (San Diego, CA) for four years as the varsity running backs coach/wide receivers coach.
While with the Red Devils he coached three 1,000-yard rushers and was on staff of the first playoff winning team in over eight years at the school with back to back metro pacific league championships.
A native of Decatur, Georgia, Thurmond graduated from Grand Canyon University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in sports management and is currently enrolled in graduate school at Georgia Southern.
He is the father to Journee (13), Gavin (8), and Jorja (3).
THE THURMOND FILE
Personal
Hometown: Decatur, GA
Born: April 16, 1987 in Kalamazoo, MI
College: Grand Canyon University (2019)
Family: Daughters - Journee, Jorja; Son – Gavin
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