Thayer Thomas' athleticism is a combination of nurture and nature
Redshirt junior slot receiver Thayer Thomas had a career-high 11-reception, 135-yard performance with two touchdowns in the Wolfpack’s 38-22 win over Florida State Saturday, but the 6-0, 195-pounder has been making the most of his opportunities since arriving at NC State.
Returning for his fourth season with the football program after being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 33rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Thomas has led the Pack’s receiving corps with a 71.1 catch rate percentage while reeling in 27 of his 38 targets through eight contests in 2020 according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
The pass-catcher from Heritage High School in Wake Forest, N.C., gave his parents the credit for playing him in multiple sports since his early childhood, which has helped him develop the versatile skill set he displays on the football field.
“Growing up, I played up to five sports,” Thomas said. “Obviously, I did football, baseball, basketball, and then I did soccer and gymnastics as well. Being well-rounded there and just playing different sports has helped me become a very well-rounded player."
He attributes his soft hands, however, two generations back in his family.
“My grandfather was a really good baseball player, so maybe he passed down his genetic makeup with the hand-eye coordination stuff,” Thomas said. “When we were younger, we played flag football. I was one of the receivers because I was the only one that could run and go catch a deep ball.
“We were probably 7 years old and we played on a Pop Warner team, North Raleigh Bulldogs. The quarterback was Reid Herring, the former quarterback at ECU. He would literally just throw me nine balls and I would just run under it and get it. I was one of the only kids that could do that, so it started at a young age.
“Then it just became more of a natural thing. And obviously, baseball has helped that. I think it's more natural, but then it can be developed over time by my parents allowing me to play many sports and just being well-rounded in that aspect.”
Thomas also returns punts, and he’s quite good at it. On five attempts this fall, he’s gained 74 yards and currently ranks second in the ACC with a 14.8 yards per return average.
A former outfielder for Elliott Avent and the Wolfpack baseball team, Thomas said that returning a punt is quite similar to fielding a fly ball.
“Being able to track a baseball has definitely helped my punt return skills,” Thomas said. “Tracking a baseball is a little bit harder because it's smaller. Obviously, a punt has spin on it and stuff like that. So catching punts and catching fly balls are almost exactly the same.”
The multi-sport athlete really wasn’t able to make that connection until he arrived as a former walk-on with the football team. Because Heritage already had a “really good” punt returner, Thomas didn’t return many punts in high school.
“I would do it whenever he couldn't,” he explained.
When the 17-year-old rookie showed up to his first college practice, he was encouraged to catch some punts with the team’s starting return man. That player was now-current Indianapolis Colts running back Nyheim Hines, who is one of the top punt returners in the NFL today.
“He was the punt returner, but he just said, 'Come catch punts with me at practice, just try to find a way on the field,’” Thomas recalled. “Fast forward a year later, and my first touch ever in college football was off of a punt return. It definitely helped me get on the field at first, and then it just became one of my strengths in football.”
The fourth-year receiver admits the contrast is stark between this season’s offense and the one from 2019. The Wolfpack has a new offensive coordinator in Tim Beck, but most of the players are the same.
Thomas said the most noticeable difference is the attitude of the team, most notably the effort and timing developed through practice.
“The offense took the outcome from 2019 personally,” Thomas said. “We all just had to look each other in the mirror and say, 'We have to do better.' We just did that. With Coach Beck coming in, he talks us up a big game.
“He instills confidence in us on a daily basis. He's honest with us. When you do a good job, he'll let you know. He thinks that we're one of the top offenses in the ACC, if not the country. He preaches that stuff and I think we've all bought into what he's saying. It's just about showing up on Saturdays playing fast and playing physical.”
NC State has averaged 397.5 yards of total offense per game in 2020, about 4.5 percent more than the clip through 12 games last season, which included four non-conference matchups.
The Wolfpack has also increased its yards per play average by 0.5 and decreased its turnovers per game average by 0.2 in comparison to last season.
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