No. 2 S Chris Thompson Jr. eyeing return trip to Texas

Between his expertise on the field and his coveted status off of it as one of the nation’s premier prospects, regardless of position, Duncanville safety Chris Thompson Jr. has grown increasingly accustomed to the spotlight. As the headliner of a daunting Duncanville defense that allowed only 61 points prior to last season’s Class 6A Division I state semifinal, a 44-35 Duncanville win over powerhouse Allen, Thompson help guide that Panthers to the most prominent stage in Texas high school football — the Class 6A Division I state championship against Houston North Shore.

Some last-second heroics and a Hail Mary dashed Duncanville’s championship aspirations, but that ultimately goal remains intact ahead of Thompson’s final season among the high school ranks.

“We did good. We made it to state but came up short,” Thompson told Burnt Orange Nation. “You could tell that we had a good team. We’re working harder to get back to state and win it.”

Along the way and on into the 2019 offseason, Thompson has entertained the recruiting process as one of the nation’s prized prospects.

“It’s treating me well,” Thompson said of his recruitment. “It can get stressful, but I’m still blessed to be in the position I’m in.”

All totaled, Thompson owns 31 offers with at least a trio of invitations stemming from each Power 5 conference, including seven from the Big 12 and eight from the SEC. When it’s all said and done, though, 30 programs will watch as the nation’s No. 2 safety prospect and No. 38 player overall takes his talents elsewhere.

At this fairly early juncture, a handful of programs have begun to separate themselves from the masses, as Texas, LSU, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Florida are each standing out, Thompson said.

Of that bunch, Texas is currently considered the team to beat, owning four of Thompson’s six Crystal Ball projections, and unsurprisingly so.

“I have a great relationship with Coach [Craig] Naivar and Coach [Rashaad] Samples,” Thompson said of why he likes the Longhorns. “Coach Naivar has pretty much been telling me that I’m his top recruit and that he’s more interested in me than anybody else.”

Naivar’s sentiments shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Of the six 2020 safety prospects with a Texas offer in hand, Thompson is not only the most highly-touted of the bunch, but he was the first to earn an offer from the Longhorns, adding Texas to the mix on Jan. 29, 2018. And, as Thompson noted, Samples has a key tie to the Duncanville program that can only help the Horns — his father, Reggie Samples, is the head coach.

In addition to Texas enjoying a key tie and building a great relationship with the top-40 talent, Thompson has been a frequent presence on the Forty Acres. He visited the Longhorns three times last year, with the most recent trip coming during the 24-10 win over No. 16 Iowa State.

It won’t be long before Thompson gets back to the Forty Acres, as he’s eyeing a Texas visit during spring break.

“I’ve pretty much seen everything at Texas, so I’ll really just be going down there to see them again,” Thompson said. As far as official visits are concerned, though, Thompson doesn’t plan to begin that process until the fall.

Nevertheless, if the Horns can ultimately outlast the 30 other programs Thompson owns offers from and secure his signature, he would become the third top-three safety prospect to take his talents to Texas throughout the previous three cycles, joining Caden Sterns and B.J. Foster.