Walter Thurmond III always feels he needs to prove something to his critics, coaches and fans.
“I think I have to prove myself almost every game so that people know who I am and where I’m coming from,” he said.
The strong belief in his playing ability breeds confidence. Asked if the starting right cornerback ever talks trash with his opponent, Thurmond flashes a sly grin.
“We talk a little bit of trash on the field,” he says. “That goes for both sides on the field.”
Confidence is never a rare commodity with the 6-foot, 175 pound Thurmond. His designation as a redshirt freshman may be on paper only. When he steps on the field, Thurmond is making it clear he can contribute like a senior.
On a nationally televised stage, Thurmond collected 10 tackles and a sack in Oregon’s 34-33 win over Oklahoma.
“I’m hoping that’s just the starting point for him,” Oregon secondary coach John Neal said. “He seems to be the kind of guy that will get better the more he plays and I’m seeing signs of that.”
The two-sport athlete – Thurmond also runs on the men’s track team – has enjoyed much success, starting with his senior year of high school in West Covina, Calif.
Thurmond spent time on offense and defense as he utilized his quick speed to lead the West Covina High School Bulldogs to the CIF-Southern Section Division VII Championship and an 11-2-1 record. West Covina clinched the title with a 19-8 win over rival South Hills.
Thurmond caught 29 passes for 730 yards and seven touchdowns in his senior season and rushed for more than 400 yards and another two touchdowns. He didn’t quit there – he also accumulated 85 tackles and five interceptions on defense.
Thurmond sorted through a list of interested colleges including Oregon, Boise State, Fresno State, Wyoming and San Diego State. By choosing Oregon, it allowed him to pursue both of his passions in football and track.
The football team already had two established cornerbacks in Justin Phinisee and Aaron Gipson, so Thurmond redshirted the season, worked, and waited for his opportunity.
Phinisee and Gipson, seniors in 2005-06, taught Thurmond the little things: how different wide receivers lined up and how to anticipate routes.
Entering fall camp, Thurmond realized he had an opportunity to start with a strong showing. When fellow redshirt freshman Terrell Ward, another potential starter, went down with a knee injury requiring surgery, it further cemented Thurmond as the starting right corner.
His statistics in Oregon’s first two games could have gone unnoticed on the stat sheet. In fact, they did in the second game against Fresno State when his name was accidentally replaced by wide receiver Derrick Jones, a fellow track athlete who shares the same number (6).
He made five tackles against Stanford in the season opener.
Thurmond cemented his status as an up-and-coming cornerback with his performance two weeks ago.
“The Oklahoma game was a game to see where I was at,” Thurmond said. “We had a good running back and it (was good) to see if I could tackle (Adrian Peterson) and cover some good receivers.”
Each game is a learning experience for Thurmond.
He sees new quarterbacks, wide receivers and offenses each week.
“Our young freshmen corners are going to see different things every week,” Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. “There is no way we can prepare them because we can only see what people have done on film. Every week the offensive gurus get in the office and dream up new plays and new routes and things that are designed to complement what they’ve run before.”
Oregon’s cornerback position, already dealing with the loss of Jackie Bates to a broken leg, saw positive progress this week from Ward, who practiced with the team and is likely to see his first playing time of the season on Saturday.
The new addition allows Oregon coaches to rest a cornerback and let him see how the game is progressing from the sideline, Bellotti said.
Oregon’s cornerbacks are going up against an Arizona State offense averaging 255.8 yards through the air.
Football is one thing. Track is a whole different focus.
In the spring, Thurmond trades the packed crowds of Autzen Stadium for Hayward Field with its own loyal track following where satisfaction comes from winning races compared to delivering crushing hits.
Thurmond runs the 110 meter hurdles. His 2006 spring season best is 14.29, and he found himself competing in practice against Eric Mitchum, who had a season best of 13.48 seconds.
“He was a good person to look up to,” said Thurmond of Mitchum, who graduated last June.
Thurmond learns from Vin Lananna, who helped bring the Olympic Track and Field Trials to Eugene in 2008.
“Coach Lananna is a good coach,” Thurmond said. “He is trying to build a new program here and we have good athletes and we want to try and bring back another Pac-10 Championship back to Eugene.” The breakneck speed on the track is nice,
but Thurmond is still a freshman on the football field and must continue to improve, Neal said.
“The track helps, but his speed still on the football field – it’s not superior,” Neal said. “It’s like everybody else. He’s still got to be a great football player in terms of the techniques and things he’s learning and getting better at.”
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