Pannunzio Measuring Up in All the Right Ways
Respect from his teammates stems from effort and selflessness
Mike Brohard
There just wasn’t much to him.
Not his game. That was there. Thomas Pannunzio was a darn good football player at Pueblo South High School. Heck, he scored 20 touchdowns for the Colts, 13 of them as a receiver. He also picked off some passes and returned some kicks.
He had some speed and produced explosive plays. The thing for college football coaches was his size. He was only 5-foot-9 and about 150 or so pounds.
So they passed.
Now, flash forward a few years, and from Colorado State’s point of view, he’s the type of player you can’t have enough of on the roster.
“I think the first thing that jumps out to mind is accountability,” said CSU’s new offensive coordinator, Jon Budmayr. “That’s how he is, and whatever’s asked of him he does it full steam. He doesn’t just go and do it, but he wants to know how to do it correctly. That’s what’s pretty cool. The background is what it is, but what it shows me is that he’s willing to do anything for this team, and the more guys we have like that, the better we’re going to be.”
His size is always going to be a thing, which he realizes. And thanks to Preston Williams, he’ll always have a constant reminder -- his nickname.
Tadpole. Exactly what every self-respecting football player wants to be called.
“Nah. Preston gave it to me. At first, I did not like it, but you know, Preston Williams, you do what Preston says,” Pannunzio explained. “Preston starting calling me that, then the receivers started to call me that and it stuck on, so I’ve got to wear it.
“One of my friends back home, she called me T-Pun, and he thought it sounded like tadpole, and he’s like, ‘you’re short and fast, so I’m going to start calling you Tadpole.’”
True to his amphibious moniker, he was set on becoming something else.
Pannunzio followed his older brother, Isiah, to Colorado State. While Isiah was with the Rams as a scholarship tight end, Thomas came to campus with nothing promised as a walk-on. He was going to have to earn his keep, and he took the smart first step of working his way onto special teams.
He played nine games as a true freshman in that role, registering a pair of tackles. He’s been a fixture on those units for three years now, and he expanded his resume even more by becoming one of the Rams’ return men, primarily on kickoffs.
In his situation, he found you do whatever you’re asked, and do it as well as possible. It’s led to a very curious path for him.
He started as a wideout. Then he moved to defensive back last year. Now he’s back as a slot receiver. To the outside world, it may seem the Rams simply don’t know what to do with him, but his teammates view that as a positive.
“It means he does everything right,” tight end Brian Polendey said. “A coach isn’t going to look at a guy and say, ‘I want you to play wideout’ … Like, you’re not going to move a guy to a position if you don’t trust him. It means he’s a very smart football player and the coaches trust him to do every job they ask him.”
He’s enjoyable to be around. He lights up a room when he’s in there. More guys like that would only improve the team.Toby McBride
In fact, Thomas has viewed the moves as a positive each and every time.
In each room, he’s learned a little something more about the game. With his return to wideout, he has a better understanding of the nuances at receiver. How defenders are trying to jam him up, how to get open and even how to set up his own route to create an opportunity for a teammate.
“All kinds of stuff. Coach Anthony Perkins was a great teacher, teaching me all the techniques, especially at the line of scrimmage,” Thomas said. “That’s a huge thing, just because pressing. Working that line of scrimmage, using your hands, that’s a big thing for DBs. We’re trying to incorporate that in the receiver room. Coach Alex Baily is teaching us more about the physical aspect of receiving. Instead of using our feet, using our hands and upper body more, so that’s a huge thing.”
Each week of practice is filled with one-on-one sessions, passing drills where there is single coverage – one wideout, one defensive back. It’s not just a physical challenge, but it often leads to a jawing session of getting in each other’s heads.
And who knows more about the defensive backs than a former one. The talk can be endless, especially when it comes to Rashad Ajayi, because they used to be locker mates. Those battles are fun for Thomas.
“You know who’s winning that battle most the time,” he said with a sly grin.
Asked for a definitive answer, Thomas came back with: “Shoot, Rashad can come answer that question.”
Each year has brought about something new for Thomas, except for his smile. That’s always been a constant. So has his work ethic, and that’s what a walk-on needs to win over his teammates.
While some players would tell you the rotation door of positions never allowed them to settle in, but Thomas says it’s been the opposite, especially in regards to becoming a really good teammate. He has sat in both the offensive and defensive meeting rooms. He is a familiar face to every member of the team, and he appreciates what it means for unity.
“It’s just a blessing in disguise. You learn everything, so many things, and you can have a big impact on the team,” he said. “You can meet different guys and be able to lead and kind of connect. I think that’s something that’s kind of needed from a team standpoint, just more connecting, so it’s just a blessing in disguise to be able to transfer from both sides and just learn the whole system.”
When Toby McBride was a freshman, his roommate was Isiah. He also had a younger brother joining the program, so when Thomas arrived, he sort of adopted him, too.
So he kept an eye out for him, though it became pretty clear Thomas was going to earn his own path. Which he’s done by not allowing himself to be outworked. Before last season began, those efforts turned him into a scholarship player.
“Personally for me, to see him work hard and see him earn a scholarship and do the things that he’s done … Even this spring, being a special teams captain and have his own team and push them,” McBride said. “He’s earning respect. He continues to earn it. I know he’s flopped back and forth, so both sides of the ball know how hard he works, knows the things he can do and he just continues to improve and impress the team.”
His biggest role yet came last year when he became the primary kickoff return man for the Rams. His 18 returns averaged 22.8 yards, and a couple of them put the Rams in prime scoring position, including his longest return of 48 yards.
He was also tackled by the kicker. Living that down is harder than being known as Tadpole. To this day, he’s still hearing about that from his teammates.
But the promotion was a point of pride. Personally, and as a teammate.
“I just liked … it’s really not about me. I liked how my team formed around me,” he said. “That was one of the huge things, because they believe in me so I could believe in them. This year, I just want to have a bigger impact on the game. Hopefully score a touchdown this year, don’t get tackled by a kicker.”
And by a bigger role, he’s hoping his second go-round with the wideouts will prove fruitful. He is in the slot, which will put him second to Dante Wright, but there are times Wright lines out wide. Who knows? Budmayr said being creative is the fun part of being an offensive coordinator and seeing who can fit into certain packages, even if in a limited capacity.
He’s shown some explosiveness on returns, and Budmayr is still learning what the young man can do as a receiver and how it could help the unit’s goal of being more explosive.
“I think what’s been fun about him is he jumped over and right away you could see the investment that he has,” Budmayr said. “He’s a guy that wants to know the details behind each play. He wants to know where he’s supposed to be at and how he fits, and he can be dynamic with the ball in his hands. I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been fun getting to know him and also being able to see what his strengths are and continuing to learn his skill set. His approach is awesome. It’s one we look for from the whole group.”
By now, Thomas is feeling right at home, and he still would if a coach walked up to him the next day and asked him to try a new position. He’s willing to try anything. And not just try, but earn his keep.
He’s made his point with those who matter, and that’s his teammates. Their expectation is he will give his all to do whatever he is asked, no questions asked. He may be on scholarship, but he carries the chip of a walk-on always.
At this point, his well-earned reputation carries more weight in the locker room than he does personally.
“Just hard work. He comes in, doesn’t say much. Works hard, doesn’t look for recognition,” McBride said. “He doesn’t complain if he’s not getting the ball, doesn’t complain if he’s getting moved. He’s just super selfless, cares about the team. The team, the team, that’s all he wants. He wants nothing but the team to win and everybody have a good time.
“He’s enjoyable to be around. He lights up a room when he’s in there. More guys like that would only improve the team.”
Funny how that works out some times. The Rams, they just can’t get enough of him. And they’d certainly take on more who are just like him.