Hard-hitting Texas S pledge Jerrin Thompson displays elite instincts

Listed as the nation’s No. 16 ranked safety and No. 32 ranked player in the state, Jerrin Thompson is considered to be one of more underrated prospects from the state of Texas. In fact, it wasn’t until late last month when the Texas Longhorns offered Thompson.

Just a few short weeks later and the Lufkin product is now a member of the Longhorns’ 2020 class.

Standing just over 6’0, the athletic 185-pound safety possesses a fairly ideal frame for a high school safety. Thompson fits the prototypical mold of previous safeties that Texas has recruited under Tom Herman.

Thompson boasts tremendous drive as a tackler. He does an excellent job at squaring his shoulders up and creates great leverage to help drive through ball carriers. Along with his hard-hitting ability, Thompson brings a lot of range and flexibility to the table as a safety. His aggressive play style play helps complement his activeness in the back-end of the secondary.

On film, Thompson shows an elite sense of awareness for the ball. He recognizes run/pass plays well and pursues the ball with strong intention. To further speak for the awareness, Thompson’s timing against the pass is quite notable. His film is highlighted with multiple impressive timing hits against receivers, leading to pass breakups.

There’s still room for improvement as a cover safety, though. Last season, Thompson had just one interception.

The film speaks for his versatile numbers. Thompson was the District 5A defensive MVP last season after he totaled 90 tackles (4 TFL) and 15 pass breakups. He’s recorded 185 tackles, 22 pass breakups, five interceptions, and five forced fumbles throughout his two seasons as a varsity starter.

Earlier this spring at the Opening Regional in Houston, Thompson recorded a SPARQ rating of 93.69 behind a 4.67 40-yard dash, a 4.40 short shuttle, and a 32.7-inch vertical.

Back in October, 247 recruiting analyst Gabe Brooks pegged Thompson as one of the top Texas safeties from the 2020 class, projecting the Lufkin product to be a day three NFL draft pick someday.

One of Texas’ top safeties in the 2020 class with all-conference potential at the Power Five level and long-term NFL Draft ceiling.

Highly-recruited safeties DeShon Elliott and Caden Sterns excelled at the free safety position in Todd Orlando’s defense. While he’s not totally there yet with his coverage skills, considering Thompson’s aggressive play style and excellent tackling ability, he surely has the upside to follow in their footsteps at free safety. From the personnel standpoint, defensive backs coach Jason Washington has a lot to work with here given his versatility.