Kris Thornton started his college career in 2017 with VMI. During his two seasons on the team, he became the first freshman in over two decades to lead the team in receiving and followed that up with 87 receptions in 2018. He opted to transfer to James Madison after the 2018 season and redshirted in 2019 due to transfer rules.
In his first season of playing at James Madison, he put up a modest stat line of 26-428-3. He would ascend the following season and lead the team with 83 receptions, 1097 yards, and 13 touchdowns. For an encore, he would return and play in 2022, putting up 59 receptions, 1015 yards, and seven touchdowns in 11 games. The 1015 receiving yards was the second-highest mark in the Sun Belt Conference for the 2022 season.
