4-star S Jerrin Thompson signs with Texas

After initially committing to the Longhorns in August of this year, Lufkin safety Jerrin Thompson made it official on Wednesday by signing his National Letter of Intent to continue his football career and education for the Texas Longhorns.

Thompson, a 6’0, 183-pound safety prospect, is a consensus four-star recruit and a top-200 prospect nationally. Along with the Longhorns, Thompson also garnered offers from schools such as LSU, Notre Dame, Arkansas, TCU, and Oklahoma State.

“It was the best fit for me and my family,” Thompson told Inside Texas. “It’s close to home too. This place is amazing. It’s all about family and winning.”

As you can see in his tape above, Thompson is a physical defensive back that isn’t afraid to stick his nose into contact or track down ball-carriers. He’s a tough-minded leader who’s been his team’s team-captain and he often isn’t afraid to lead by example or do the hard work to get the job done.

At 6’0 tall, it remains to be seen where Thompson will find a home in the Longhorns secondary. There’s no doubt he can provide run-support from almost any level so it will likely come down to the type of coverage he displays and whether or not he shows better as a deep safety in zones or as a nickel underneath in more man situations.

Personally, I see some Brandon Jones in Thompson. Regardless, he’s the type of defensive back who can make an impact from a number of spots on the field.

Here’s the evaluation from Ian Boyd:

At 6-foot-0, 183 pounds with testing numbers like a 4.6 40, 4.2 shuttle, and 32″ vertical, Thompson is a nice athletic prospect for the secondary. He has proven effectiveness both as a tackler coming down in run support from a field safety position as well as playing the ball in the air. He’s had 185 tackles, 22 pass break-ups, and five INTs over the last two seasons at Lufkin. The measurables and skill could make him a fit at nickel but he may end up back at field or boundary safety if his ability to play the ball from zone is his better attribute than playing man coverage underneath on slots. Where he slots his ability to close and tackle will be immensely valuable for building spread-busting packages that can stop the run while flooding the field with versatile athletes.

Set to arrive in January as an early enrollee, Thompson could have a shot at cracking the two-deep for the to start the season for the Longhorns. He’s the type of recruit who could come in an instantly make his presence felt.