Polk, Thomas look to lead secondary

IU football player Austin Thomas said he and his teammates have nothing holding them back as they approach the Sept. 3 season kickoff.

“The sky’s the limit with us,” Thomas said. “It’s just going to be as bad as we want it and as hard as we go.”

In order to reach those new heights, coach Bill Lynch and his staff moved several wide receivers to the secondary, where Thomas (strong safety) and fellow senior Nick Polk (free safety) specialize.

Polk said he feels the athleticism, speed and knowledge of how things are done as a receiver have helped former receivers such as Ray Fisher make the adjustment. Polk has been through it, as he switched from wideout to free safety his sophomore year.

“You pick up on things pretty quickly just from being a previous wide receiver,” Polk said. “It’s easier to read routes because you’ve actually ran them before. As long as those guys come over and pick up quick, they’ll be pretty good.”

Thomas said Fisher, a “phenomenal athlete,” has been a standout at the cornerback position during camp.

“He’s definitely confident in what he’s doing,” Thomas said. “Ray’s one of the main guys fitting into the secondary right now, and he’s done a really good job of switching over.”

Thomas said he hopes he and his teammates can avoid the injuries that plagued them last year and forced him to miss half of the season.

Thomas, who was injured last season, went through rehabilitation from an ACL tear throughout the winter. He said he was ready to play by mid-May and he does not want to face similar troubles in his final season as a Hoosier.

“I want to stay healthy as much as everybody else,” Thomas said. “I just want to be out there.”

Thomas said he wants this, his final season donning the cream and crimson, to be memorable for the right reasons.

“I think all the seniors do,” he said. “It’s something we all know we must do. As a senior class, we want to go out as winners, and we’ll do whatever we can to do that.”

One of the things Lynch implemented in the off season in order to help meet that goal was the leadership council, a group of seniors and some juniors on the team who work together to foster team bonding and stress the importance of leadership among the other players, as well.

“We’re getting everyone to show leadership in some way,” Polk, a member of the council along with Thomas, said. “Maybe helping out a younger guy or if you know something you can speak up.”

Polk said the work he and others have put into taking charge has been contagious.

“They take the leadership role from you and then they pass it on to the other guys,” he said.

These changes, Thomas said, will affect the team in a positive way, at least on his side of the ball.

“We’ll play harder,” he said. “That’s for sure.”