Kosciusko’s Thomas Olive isn’t the kind of player that the college coaches are going to be asking about.
He’s undersized at 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds to be playing outside linebacker, looking more like a cornerback. He’s not the fastest guy on the team and not the strongest for his size.
But football coach Casey Orr won’t take the field without him.
“He is undersized and not blessed with as many tools but at the end of the day, he’s going to make plays,” Orr said. “Thomas the last two years has played linebacker for me. He has got a football mentality. The biggest compliment, he is the kid that the other coach is asking about. You just don’t understand how valuable and good he is until you play him. He is just one of those kids that makes plays.”
Olive had 57 tackles last season and led the team with nine tackles for loss.
“He is very valuable to us on defense,” Orr said. “He has been a really good linebacker for us the last two years. He was right there. I give out and award for out hardest hitter and that’s who got the award. He’s a very physical kid.”
While Olive isn’t the biggest kid, Orr said he packs a punch when he hits.
“He’s our hardest hitter,” Orr said. “He was the tip of the spear for us defensively.
He doesn’t look like the the guy who could get it done but it does.
'In the West Lauderdale game, he kept us in the game. We were down three quarterbacks and he kept us in the game against a really talented running back.”
Olive said he remembers that West Lauderdale game as well where he had nine solo tackles and a forced fumble.
“I thought my best game was against West Lauderdale,” Olive said. “I finished that game with double-digit tackles and forced a fumble. I forced the fumble on a hit toward the goal line. I was coming off the edge and hit the running back when they handed it off and forced a fumble.”
Orr said Olive has somewhat of a mean streak and gets it honest from his family.
“He comes form a family of loggers and has that mentality,” Orr said. “He gets after it and works hard. He works with the dad in the woods and knows what it is to work hard. He’s one of those kids that you win with and that’s how it is . I go back to those days when Weir was so good, that had a lot of kids like that. They could either haul pulpwood or play football and that’s the mentality of that kid.”
While Olive has been primarily a defensive player, he will have to play on the offensive side of the ball this season.
“In the past, he has been a defensive guy but he will have to be my starting running back as well,” Orr said. “We really don’t have a bonafide No. 1 running back and it will be by committee and he will be carrying a brunt of that load. He is a slasher. He’s not the biggest but has good vision and he is not afraid to stick his nose in there. He runs with a lot of power and has decent speed. He is a guy that I trust, honestly. He is my best option back there.”
Olive said he will do whatever the coaching staff needs to help his team.
“I’m ready to get in and make plays and help the team any way I can,” Olive said. “I didn’t really get to play running back last year. But it’s been good so far. I like to touch the football and go make plays. On defense, I can play on the edge or I can go get in coverage. I can either play in the box or I can play out in space, whatever they need me to do.
Orr said Olive’s play reflects a lot on his family.
“There is a lot of pride with him and his family because of the history they have had at Kosciusko,” Orr said. “I know his dad and uncles all played here and it means a lot to them. It would be real fun if I had 11 of him on defense on Friday night. He is going to be in a good mood and going to bouncing around and going to be loud.”
