Thornton finds a home

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Khyri Thornton’s journey has taken him from Panama City to Virginia to South Florida and now Mississippi. He’s found a home west of the Florida Panhandle.

The former Bay High School standout has become a prominent member of the Southern Mississippi football team. He has steadily progressed into a starter at defensive tackle and has carved a niche following a period of uncertainty.

Thornton attended Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., after leaving Bay in 2008. He signed with USF in February, 2009, and had all intentions of joining former Tornadoes’ teammate Jeremiah Warren on the Bulls’ roster.

However, despite being ruled eligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse, USF’s academic committee denied Thornton admission due to a lower grade point average than was required by the school. USF hoped Thornton would attend a junior college and re-enroll in 2010, but he decided to seek other suitors.

Southern Mississippi called and Thornton answered.

“I was blessed someone else wanted to give me a free education,” said Thornton, who is majoring in criminal justice. “I don’t worry about that anymore, everything happens for a reason.”

Thornton redshirted in 2009, but instead of adding mass like most recruits, Thornton dropped excess baggage.

“I got here as a freshman at 335 pounds,” Thornton said. “I was a lot slower and out of shape. I couldn’t do things for a longer period of time.”

He performed well in his first season in 2010 with 17 tackles. He was named to the Conference USA All-Freshmen team and played in 12 games.

He has appeared in all eight games this season for a team on the upswing. He’s made six starts with 13 tackles, six solo, and three sacks.

Thornton is still critical of his play. He said he’s learning to hone his technique every day, something that was lacking for him on the high school level.

“I’m playing alright, not feeling up to my potential just yet,” Thornton said. “I’m trying to bring that nastiness out of me. I have a long way to go.”

Thornton said being more physical is important given he’s often double-teamed by opposing offensive linemen to keep him in check. At 6-foot-3, 287 pounds, he’s an imposing target.

“I feel like I should be able to get past that,” Thornton said. “I need to cause havoc, take the double and triple teams so it frees up something for someone else.”

Thornton’s efforts have helped the Eagles to a 7-1 start and a tie in Conference USA’s Eastern Division. They travel to East Carolina on Saturday in a battle for first place.

The Eagles were ranked No. 25 two weeks ago, their first ranking in seven seasons, but are now on the cusp of the Associated Press Top 25. It’s shaping up to be one of USM’s best seasons.

“We’re not really trying to focus on it,” Thornton said. “It’s a good feeling right now, but we do take it one game at a time.

“Every week we strive to be 1-0. We can’t worry about the next opponent.”