It’s just that instead of going to training camp and trying to earn a job on the field, the native of Dayton, Ohio, is interested in obtaining a management position.
“I’ve always had a passion for football, I can’t see myself doing anything that isn’t somehow involved with the sport,” he says. “I’m going to try to work with an NFL team, hopefully in some capacity in the front office.”
While his dream job would be working for the Cincinnati Bengals, those plans are on hold as the Hilltoppers close in on the end of the 2007 campaign. Beginning with today’s contest against North Carolina Central, WKU has five games remaining in its first season transitioning to the NCAA Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) level.
Still, with more than half the schedule played, his time on the field is nearing an end.
“It’s definitely in the back of my mind,” says Thuney. “I’ve been talking with some of the other seniors at breakfast and lunch, and we realize there are only five games left in our collegiate career. That’s a rude awakening, because I’m not ready for the real world yet.”
The real world is going to have to wait another year for the 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman anyway, because after adding a sports management major to his business management major he is expected to graduate in May 2008. Until then, he will have to settle for being one of the Toppers’ leaders up front and in the locker room.
So far in 2007, Thuney has graded out at 90 percent or better on three occasions after receiving a season-best 96 percent mark following last week’s 56-7 victory at Indiana State. He has recorded 50 total knockdown blocks, including a season-high 10 against Eastern Kentucky in the “Battle of the Bluegrass,” but it is off the field where his performance has been a key.
Thuney is WKU’s most experienced offensive lineman playing this fall with Greg Ryan’s decision to sit out as a redshirt. His 22 career starts are tops among all offensive players, while his streak of 12 starts in a row is the second-longest on that side of the ball.
“I definitely felt like I’ve had to do more,” he states. “Greg’s a great leader, but since he’s not there right now I have had to pick my game up. Me, Terrance [Houston] and Andrew [Campbell] have come together to help the rest of the guys out.
“I’m not really into talking, I’m not a vocal leader like some of our other players are,” Thuney continues. “I like to lead by example — I try to do everything the right way so that the younger guys can watch me and know how to do it. We’ve got three freshmen on the offensive line, and I want to teach them how coach [Walter] Wells wants things done so when I’m gone they know what to do.”
Hilltopper head coach David Elson has noticed Thuney’s performance both on and off the field in his final year. “I think it’s been critical. I told someone recently that you can see how Zach has really matured this year,” he says. “He’s playing his best football right now — it’s a good thing when your seniors are doing that, it means they are obviously able to lead by example.
“It’s easy to tell that Zach has taken on more of a leadership role, you can see that he is very invested in our program.”
Thuney — along with seven other seniors — had originally decided to redshirt and conclude their careers in 2008, but in the end all but Ryan and Tanner Siewert changed their minds. While it was easy to agree to right after the end of last season, the decision became more difficult to stick to once spring practice started.
“I had talked to my parents and decided to go with the crowd because I wanted to sit out with everyone else,” he recalls. “As time went by during spring practice and summer workouts, it was just so hard to watch and not be out there. I wanted to play and contribute to this team.”
Instead, he is now part of the first senior class that is leading the Toppers in their transition. As such, the rewards are different since WKU cannot win a conference championship and is no longer eligible to compete in the NCAA Division I-AA (Football Championship Subdivision) playoffs.
“I had been gearing up for this because ever since I arrived here I had been hearing that we were going to be moving up to I-A,” says Thuney. “I was hoping that it would happen earlier so that my senior year would mean something, but our Unity Council decided that if we could get seven wins then we would get a ring for that. We’re obviously shooting for more than that, but we’re trying to get to that goal.”
The long-term impact is more important to Thuney anyway. “It’s huge to be a part of this first senior class making the move. When I come back to a game 15 or 20 years from now, I’ll be able to tell them that I was one of the 16 seniors who started this. It’s going to be a great feeling knowing I was one of the first people to help make this happen.”
Thuney’s start down this path began years ago, as Don Martindale — the former WKU assistant who recruited him and is now on the Oakland Raiders’ staff — was a coach at Archbishop Alter High School his freshman year. Martindale also played for Knight head coach Ed Domsitz, so according to Thuney a connection had already been made.
Thuney was also being recruited by Ohio and Miami (Ohio) as well as other schools from the Mid-American Conference, and although the Toppers didn’t fare well on his visit to campus he still committed to the program that weekend anyway. “My visit was during the Southern Illinois game that we lost in the final minute, but what really won me over were the coaches and the fact that WKU was a winning program — the national championship in 2002 was really what sold me.”
So, Thuney cancelled a scheduled visit to EKU and arrived on campus for the 2004 season.
He contributed immediately, appearing in all 12 contests including earning his first career start in the Toppers’ playoff game at Sam Houston State. After grading out at 80 percent that first year, he started four of WKU’s 11 games in 2005, finishing the season with an 85 percent mark. It wasn’t until his junior season that Thuney became a regular starter, although by then he had switched from tackle to center.
“I knew when I came here that I was going to be behind [former All-American] Buster [Ashley] my first year, so I was trying to learn everything I could from him because he was such a great player,” he says. “I’ve always had the mindset that I need to contribute and do my best whether or not I am starting. I just had to step up my performance to be a starter week in and week out.”
Shifting positions along the line didn’t pose a problem heading into his junior campaign. “I’ve always known whichever position I was playing — where to go and who to block — so it was a matter of improving my technique and getting stronger.
“It wasn’t that hard, because playing on the line has come pretty natural to me so the move wasn’t that difficult,” he adds. “The biggest difference was in who I was going against — inside you face a big guy who is strong, while outside you play against more of a finesse guy who is fast. The main adjustment for me was to the personnel of the defense.”
According to Elson, Thuney’s ability to earn immediate playing time is not the norm for players at his position.
“He showed when he came in as a true freshman that he was ready to contribute, which says a lot for an offensive lineman because typically you like to redshirt those guys,” he says. “Zach has steadily progressed and developed, he has consistently gotten better both on the field and in the weight room.”
Thuney was switched back to tackle early last season. After being credited with an 87 percent season grade and posting a career-best 55 pancake blocks last fall, he recorded the numbers to prove it, while the physical evidence can be seen in the 30 pounds he has added in the weight room since arriving on campus.
That improvement has carried over to his performance so far this year, but that doesn’t mean that Thuney is satisfied. “I think I’ve been playing pretty well for the most part, although the two games before last week really hurt because we felt like we were in those games and it was a lot closer than the score showed,” he states. “We’ve done well as an offensive line, but we need to continue to get better.”
Surely that type of attitude will impress NFL scouts and allow Thuney to pursue his dream in the league after earning a degree from WKU.
