Thacker Pulls the Trigger on the Warchant.com Hour

Audio of Bud Thacker's interview on the Warchant.com Hour (audio quality isn't great)

With Callahan Bright no longer in FSU's immediate plans, bringing in another promising defensive tackle with the 2006 recruiting class has become a priority. Fortunately for FSU, Doug "Bud" Thacker arrived on the scene just in time.

The four-star recruit from Sanford, Florida looked to be headed Virginia Tech after he made a commitment back in November, but that began to change when Florida State came in with an offer. The 'Noles took the lead after a great visit last weekend and the writing was on the wall that he would eventually make a commitment to the Garnet and Gold. Most expected Thacker to commit to Bobby Bowden during an in-home visit on Friday, but he decided to pull the trigger for FSU during Thursday's Warchant.com Hour.

"Ever since I was a little kid I knew I wanted to be a Seminole," Thacker said live on the Warchant.com Hour, "The goal for me was to always go there."

"I am going to sign with Florida State. I am having an at home visit with Bobby Bowden tomorrow where I will give him my commitment and then February 1st I will put it on paper."

Thacker becomes the 'Noles' 18th commitment for the 2006 recruiting class and the third defensive tackle joining Paul Griffin and Ryan McMahon.

A few weeks ago, hardly anybody had heard of the 6-foot-2, 275-pounder defensive lineman but that changed in the CaliFlorida game. In that contest against a team of California all-stars, Thacker dominated up front as he had done all week in practices. As result of his stellar effort, Rivals.com bumped Thacker's ranking all the way from No. 51 for strongside defensive ends to No. 11.

This past season, the Seminole High School standout had 83 tackles and nine sacks. He carries a 3.0 GPA and is on track to qualify.

Comment from Rivals.com after Thacker's performance in the CaliFlorida game:

Thacker, who is 6-foot-2 and 250 (actually 275) pounds, was the most dominant player during Saturday's game, and he loved every single second of it. Rolling around in the mud and muck, Thacker couldn't be blocked by a California offensive line that featured several four-star prospects. During one stretch in the third quarter, Thacker recorded a tackle for a loss, a sack and another sack on three consecutive plays. He also had a solid week of practices, with an especially impressive day last Thursday.

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