One in this business really tries to not play favorites. Still, there is no denying some kids just find their way into your heart and onto your pages more often than not.
We were devastated when Jacoby Thornsbury, a kid we called around the magazine’s office “Big Baby,” transferred from Belfry to Mingo Central. The main reason we were so inconsolable was we don’t cover West Virginia high schools. Big Baby had made our KPGFootball Freshman All-State team for his play at Belfry in 2018 and we believe he would have made the sophomore team this year had he not have played his sophomore season in another state.
However, and thank the Good Lord for this, Big Baby is back in Kentucky, having enrolled at Pikeville High School, and he isn’t a baby anymore. Thornsbury reports to KPGFootball that he is now 6-2 and has slimmed down to around 290-pounds. He certainly doesn’t look to us like he played at 290 for Mingo’s Miners last season.
Thornsbury was 2nd team all area in 2018 as well as 2nd team All Mountains to go along with our selecting him to our Freshman All-State team. In 2019, though ineligible for the sophomore team owing to where he played, Thornsbury was 1st team in the Cardinal Conference in W.VA., 1st team all-area, and 1st team All Moutains.
Big Baby tells KPGFootball he now bench presses 290-pounds and back-squats 650-pounds. Depending on how deeply he bends in that back-squat, and assuming he reaches either parallel or past parallel; 650-pounds maybe the best squat in Kentucky history at his stage of development.
Anyway, we are glad to see him back in Kentucky and we are sure Pikeville is thrilled to get him on its roster for 2020. Thornsbury has always been a defensive lineman and figures to enter Pikeville’s lineup immediately along its front/interior. Jacoby is also a kid who could become an interior guy along an offensive front, either now or certainly at the next level.
We think there definitely is a “next level” for this athlete. To reach his optimal potential, he needs to increase his motor and show schools he can give maximum effort on every snap. When Thornsbury is “on” he is as good as there is at his position, which is NG or a 1to 3-technique depending on the scheme. His critics claim he takes too many plays “off.”
Of course, none of us here in Kentucky have seen him for a while. Kids change as they mature. We can’t wait to see what Jacoby has become, having always been impressed with him when he was last here.
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
If you enjoyed this article and wish to gain full-access to the site, then subscribe monthly to Kentucky Prep Gridiron by following the prompts!
© The information contained on this site is the copyrighted intellectual property of KPGFootball. Any unauthorized dissemination of this material without the author’s express written consent is strictly prohibited!
Leave a Reply