Trenton Thompson

Trenton Thompson
Georgia Bulldogs No. 78
Position Defensive tackle
Class Sophomore
Career history
College
High school Albany (GA) Westover
Personal information
Date of birth (1996-07-27) July 27, 1996
Place of birth Albany, Georgia
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight 309 lb (140 kg)
Career highlights and awards
  • Maxwell Award for High School Player of the Year (2014)
  • 247 Sports Composite National Player of the Year (2014)
  • USA Today Defensive Player of the Year (2014)
  • USA Today All-American (2014)
  • Rivals.com High School Junior of the Year (2013)

Trenton Charles Thompson (born July 27, 1996) is an American football defensive tackle. He currently attends the University of Georgia. Thompson graduated from Westover Comprehensive High School in Albany, Georgia, where he earned All-USA Defensive Player of the Year honors by USA Today.[1] Scouts compare him to All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.[2]

High school career

A native of Albany, Georgia, Thompson attended Westover Comprehensive High School where he was coached by Octavia Jones and former NFL defensive lineman Jeff Hunter. In his junior season, Thompson recorded 83 tackles (38 for loss) and 12 sacks, helping Westover to a third-round GHSA 4A playoff berth and its first region title in school history.[3] He was named Junior of the Year by recruiting service Rivals.com.[4] In his senior season, Thompson tallied 84 tackles, including 36 tackles for loss and four sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. He was named the Class 4A Defensive Player of the Year by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as National Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today.[1]

Unanimously regarded as one of the top recruits across all positions,[5][6] Thompson was heavily recruited by elite NCAA Division I football programs, including Alabama, Florida State, Louisiana State, Michigan State, Auburn, and Southern California. His first offer came from Georgia while he was still a sophomore.[7] When he verbally committed to Georgia over Auburn and Alabama in August 2014, he cited Georgia's early recruiting effort as one of the reasons: “Georgia, they were my first offer. They were the first coaches that came down to see me and showed me the most love.”[8][9] He signed a National Letter of Intent on February 4, 2015.[10]

College career

Starting his college career with “stardom widely expected,”[11] Thompson was projected as a space-eater in the mold of former Florida State nose tackle Timmy Jernigan, whom Georgia's defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt coached in 2013.[12] Thompson played mostly in the second half during the first four games of the 2015 season, where he recorded 7 total tackles including a half a sack. On October 3, 2015, Thompson, listed as a defensive end, made his first start for the Bulldogs in a week 5 loss to the #13 Alabama Crimson Tide,[13][14][15] where he recorded four total tackles.[16] Thompson finished his true freshman year with 25 tackles (8 of which were solo), 2.5 tackles for a loss, and half a sack. Pro Football Focus listed him as the best true freshman on the interior defensive line, along with Missouri's Terry Beckner.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 "ALL-USA Defensive Player of the Year: Trent Thompson". USA Today. December 24, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Top-recruit Thompson confident, ready to play for Bulldogs". January 31, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Westover's Trent Thompson commits to Georgia". Albany Herald. August 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ Junior of the Year: Five-star DT Trenton Thompson at the Wayback Machine (archived April 16, 2014)
  5. ↑ "ESPN 300 for Class of 2015". ESPN.
  6. ↑ "2015 Composite Rankings". 247 Sports.
  7. ↑ "Westover sophomore Thompson gets offer from UGA". Albany Herald. February 16, 2013.
  8. ↑ "DT Trenton Thompson, No. 6 recruit, commits to Georgia Bulldodgs". ESPN. August 12, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Recruiting frenzy was intense for Thompson". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. June 26, 2015.
  10. ↑ Trent Thompson. "Trent Thompson Timeline Events". 247sports.com. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  11. ↑ "Georgia's most important players of 2015: The final 4 begins". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 6, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Trent Thompson, No. 3 recruit in class of 2015, commits to Georgia". Sports Illustrated. August 12, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Trent Thompson to start against Alabama". Albany Herald. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  14. ↑ @ 9:56am (2015-10-02). "Georgia's five-star freshman slated for first career start against Alabama". Saturdaydownsouth.com. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  15. ↑ "Henry Carter Jr". Facebook. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  16. ↑ "Trenton Thompson Game By Game Stats and Performance - Georgia Bulldogs - ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  17. ↑ "Top True Freshmen by Position". Pro Football Focus. December 11, 2015.
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