Thuney Makes the Most of Life's Transitions

NC State's All-American offensive tackle Joe Thuney has been spending a good deal of time thinking about transitions lately. After all, the veteran of many transitions is about to face the biggest one of his life. And even though he's sailed through the many changes in his life with flying colors, the one he faces after the Wolfpack's visit to the 2015 Belk Bowl might be the first one that he feels a little reluctant about.

The next step for Thuney is not graduating from college … he did that almost two years ago. After being enrolled at NC State for only three years, he graduated cum laude with a B.S. in accounting and has since been pursuing a second degree in international studies with a minor in Spanish. A habitual member of the Dean's List and ACC Academic Honor Roll, an Academic All-ACC performer and a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's Campbell Trophy, graduation and academic transitions are old hat.

This transition, however, is a more personal one. It's time to leave the place that he's called home for the past five years and the people that have become like family to him.

"The four of us on the offensive line who have played the last two years know each other really well, on and off the field," Thuney says. "I couldn't imagine a greater group of guys to work with. It's really like a family.

"Alex [Barr] and I were talking last night about it and it's really sad. He's probably going to train in Texas and I'm probably going to train in Florida. He lives in Georgia, I'm from Ohio. I've lived with him and played beside him for 4-1/2 years and not I'm not going to see him."

It's a bittersweet time for Thuney, who has enjoyed great recognition for his play on the field recently. "I'm really trying to suck the last bits of marrow out of this last year," says the 6'5, 295 lb. tackle who was recently named the Wolfpack's first first-team All-ACC offensive lineman since 2003 and was named to USA Today's All-American squad.

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Thuney faced the first of many transitions quite a few years ago, when he went from being known as the smart kid, to being known as the athletic kid.

"When I was growing up, 'smart' was usually the first adjective used to describe me," he remembers. "I always played sports and I was good at them, but I wasn't known for them. I didn't like school any more than any other kid, but I was good at it."

Thuney began his lifelong love of reading at an early age as well. "I remember in second grade, I brought the first Harry Potter book to school and after I finished my assignments I would read it. I put it at the corner of my desk and whenever I got a chance I read it. Reading has always been something I loved to do; it's an escape for me. One of my favorite quotes is 'reading is dreaming with your eyes open."

As a sophomore in high school, the Centerville, Ohio, native, began to make a name for himself as more than just a bookworm who played sports. He transitioned into a great athlete who also happened to be a great student.

While also serving as president of his senior class, he helped lead his team to two state titles and was his league's lineman of the year. A scholarship offer to NC State soon followed. He came to State as a 6'5, 245 pound center in 2011, redshirting the season.

During his first two years at NC State, Thuney says he was just learning how to play football at a high level. "As a freshman and during my sophomore year, I was mostly thinking: 'Don't mess up. Just do your job and hopefully it will end up being a good play.'"

After his sophomore season, he transitioned from novice, to expert. "Now I know where we're going all the time. I just try to play as fast and powerful as I can. And now it's with confidence. It takes a different mindset to play on the offensive line. You have to learn to love to hit people, work behind the scenes and not get a lot of credit. You have to be satisfied with seeing other people succeed."

Following Thuney's second year in Raleigh, he faced a difficult transition when the coach and staff that recruited him to NC State left Raleigh and Dave Doeren and his staff took over the helm of the program.

"It was tough," he remembers. "You're not exactly sure how to act when that happens. The new coaches didn't recruit you. They don't even necessarily like you! It was kinda awkward. You don't want to be a suck up, but you can't be too cool because you don't want them to think you don't care. I worked to find that balance and tried to be myself and let my game speak for itself.

"Now looking back on it, I'm glad that I had experience. Transitions are old hat to me!"

While Thuney and the Wolfpack were going through the transition of one coach to another, his body was going through some changes as well – a transition that was more of a transformation.

After coming to NC State weighing 245 pounds, he gained 10 pounds his first year, 20 more pounds before his second year, another 10 by the third year and by his fourth year in the program, weighed in at 295 pounds.

"I look at pictures of me in high school and think, 'Who was that? Why was I so skinny?' And sometimes I look in the mirror and can't believe I'm this big. I'm still skinnier than most offensive linemen, but I always took pride in being smaller because I had to be tougher, faster and smarter."

Thuney was the backup center in eight games as a redshirt freshman in 2012 (he snapped the ball to QB Mike Glennon for the winning touchdown against No. 3 Florida State). He was listed as the starting center heading into 2013 fall camp, but moved to tackle in preseason drills. He started the season opener at right tackle, the second game at right guard and the last 10 at left tackle.

In 2014, he was needed at left guard, so he spent the whole season as a starter at that spot. This season, he's been the starter at left tackle – where he has played every snap of the last eight games and did not allow a single sack versus ACC teams.

"Center, then guard, then tackle … then right side to left side … yeah, that's a transition. I never thought it was super hard though, I thought it was kinda fun. I embraced it. It's hardest to go from guard to tackle, because at guard you're blocking guys who are big and slow. At tackle, you're blocking big athletic guys who are the best players on defense. So tackle involves a lot more technique and guard is more just toughness."

Thuney loves playing on the offensive line and is hoping for a long, successful career playing in the NFL. "Coach U [offensive line coach Mike Uremovich] always says we are the only people in all of sports to not watch the ball. We never see the ball. Playing offensive line is a constant battle: 10 huge adults going full force into each other 80 times in the course of a few hours. Your will against my will. It's very fast-paced and intense."

Following the bowl game, Thuney will turn his laser focus onto the transition from collegiate football to the NFL. And he's already thought about the transition after his professional career ends.

"I would like to be the curator of a museum or run a big, old-fashioned brick library with cozy armchairs. I want to be around books and history, but I like people too, so I need to be around people."

Thuney says that when he's gone from NC State, he hopes that he is remembered as "someone who was tough and played hard all the time."

"I want to be remembered as a good teammate and as someone who loved football and NC State … someone who faced each transition and made the best out of it."

Players Mentioned

Alex Barr

Joe Thuney

North Carolina State University Athletics