Austin Thayer is a dual threat free safety and wide receiver for his Paradise High Bobcats in the Eastern Athletic League (EAL). As a junior last year, he led his team to a 10-2 record and into the second round of the playoffs where they lost 26-23 to Enterprise (Redding). In this upcoming season, Thayer wants to be MVP for his league while winning section title for Paradise.
At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, Thayer considers his best football strengths to be his pass catching and tackling skills. Thayer had 162 tackles/7 interceptions and 399 yards receiving/two touchdowns last year in a 12 game season. Paradise High Coach Rick Prinz says, "Austin has great football instincts and a nose for the football. Defensively he is another coach on the field for us. As a third year varsity player, he understands what needs to happen in our secondary and shares this understanding with his teammates."
This Bobcat can run 4.69 seconds in the 40-yard dash, can bench press 205 pounds, squat 315 pounds, and has a vertical of 32 inches. He is still very close to Paradise alum, Jeffrey Maehl, who is a wide receiver for the Oregon Ducks. Maehl has served as mentor to Thayer during his football career.
Paradise's offensive formation is a Wing-T while its defense is a 5-2 lineup. The Wing T is mostly run focus. Hence, many opponents key on the running game, which will leave Thayer open to an exposed secondary. On defense, Thayer will be the starting safety for the third year in a row. So, he will be a leader for this defensive 5-2 formation. Thayer compares his game to that of NFL stars Brian Dawkins and Jeremy Shockey as he can be quite aggressive and bruising.
During this summer, this Bobcat has been working out with his high school team in addition to attending summer camps at Fresno State and Nevada-Reno. Thayer has been working on improving his speed and strength.
Thayer wants to attend a Division I college that has a good academic program. He has not geographic preference and has been contacted by Boise State (Coach Chris Petersen), Cal Poly, Fresno State (Assistant Coach Will Plemons), Nevada-Reno (Assistant Coach Cameron Norcross), Sacramento State (Assistant Coach Anthony Parker), San Diego State, Washington (Assistant Coach Johnny Nansen), and Washington State (Assistant Coach Rich Rasmussen). This Bobcat has not received any offers and has made an unofficial visit to Washington State.
Thayer is being recruited at both wide receiver and safety. He has his favorites as Boise State, Fresno State, and Nevada because he has always liked Boise State and has family in Fresno State and Nevada. Coach Prinz says, "I believe he has the determination, size, strength, and speed to be a D1 football player. At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, he has a lot of room to grow."
Thayer has a 3.00 GPA and has not received his SAT scores yet. He wants to major in Architectural Landscaping in college as his best subject is History. Called "Thay" by his teammates, he considers himself to be a person of high character and integrity.
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