The Cardinal Countdown: 93 Days Until Kickoff

#93 Tae Thibodeaux

Class: RS Freshman

Ht/Wt: 6-2/280

Position: Defensive Line

Hometown: New Iberia, LA

Twitter: @MealTicket_93

Thoughts: If I gave you two guesses as to which state Tae Thibodeaux hails from and you responded with anything other than ‘Louisiana’ for both, we could have problems. I may be wrong, but I believe Tae had 4 or 5 tackles for the Mud Dogs in the 1998 Bourbon Bowl…I’ll check the tape, and his eligibility come to think of it.

In reality, Tae came into the program last year to help provide some depth along the defensive line and was a big get for LD Scott out on the recruiting trail, stealing him from Arkansas and Memphis among others. It was evident fairly early that Tae was going to need a redshirt last year but as we approach 2015 Tae should get a few opportunities if the situation is right. We’ve already touched on the veteran heavy defensive ends so cracking that rotation may be a challenge, but a year under Rankins and Pio along with his classmate Kyle Shortridge can only help. If I had to guess I’d think Scott and Grantham would like to add another 10-15lb onto Thibodeaux’s frame and see him start to battle next year with Shortridge and Bailey, among others, for a permanent spot. With four years of eligibility remaining Tae could be a solid piece of the front line down the road.

Sweet Tweet:

Lambo has spoketh, and so it shall be.

We are all well aware that you can’t give yourself a nickname and sometimes when others give it a try they never stick (check out 'The Cardinal Countdown' from 2012, there were some real dumpster fire nicknames in there for sure) but I’m curious how some of the fellow Cloids got their nicknames. Surely we have a funny story or three to share? We’re 93 days out…we’ve got the time.