With just 30 more days left in the countdown we are about to encounter an array exciting players that are going to be enormous difference makers on this team; whether they be returning seniors or incoming freshmen. Today's player is one that could end up having a big role to our success on special teams down the road. But for now, he will more than likely end up as a red-shirt.
Thomas Meadows - Fr.
Hometown: Goochland, VA (Goochland High School)
Kicker/Punter
6' 1" 180 pounds
2012 Projection: Possible Red-shirt
When researching Meadows, I have to say that I was a little letdown that the best mascot his high school could come up with was a bulldog. A bulldog, really? When you're in a town with a sweet name like Goochland, you should definitely think of something with a better name, like the Goochland Gargoyles. Now that's badass. Or a Goliath. Bulldogs are just so generic.
Anyway, Meadows enters Purdue as a 3-year varsity letter kicker. His senior season he averaged 41.2 yards per punt, a long of 53, and dropped 13 for 26 inside the twenty. He was also a 2012 Ray Guy Prokicker.com high school All-American, as well as first team all-district, first team all-region and all-metro. As you can see, Meadows had a pretty solid career with plenty of honors in high school. But with all these he still only came out as a 2 star recruit.
This year looks like it will be a season of learning and practice for Meadows as he will more than likely red-shirt because of our depth at kicker; he currently has 5 guys ahead of him on the depth chart. I think a year of practice is the best thing for a guy like Meadows. Scouts rave about how he has a fast leg and is very accurate at a young age.
I've also read that Meadows is very confident in his kicks and handles pressure well. At a young age you definitely want to see that in a kicker. He has good strength with his kick, but could definitely get strong for the college game, and he could also work on getting his punts to hang a little longer. But again, with a red-shirt year under his belt this will come in due time.