Loyalty is important to
Matt Thompson, and that ultimately led the hard-hitting defender to
stick to his pledge to join the East Carolina Pirates.
Thompson, from Mebane, NC,
was being courted by a handful of NCAA Division I-A programs after a
spectacular junior season at Eastern Alamance High School. The 6-foot-2,
195-pound safety had collected 126 tackles, forced four fumbles and made
two interceptions in leading Eastern to a 9-4 record.
But because Thompson had
yet to qualify academically at that stage, most of those schools wanted
to wait until his senior year before offering a scholarship.
“It seemed like last
spring we had everyone in the world come in here, and they all liked
Matt,’’ Eastern Alamance coach John Kirby said. “But at the time, Matt
had some issues as far as being able to qualify. So instead of offering,
a lot of people held off to see what would happen.
“East Carolina was the one
that was persistent. They offered him and stuck with him.’’
Thompson wound up making a
verbal commitment to the Pirates in October.
But then came December and
a stellar performance by Thompson in the annual Shrine Bowl of the
Carolinas All-Star game. Thompson had three tackles, including one
behind the line of scrimmage, as the North Carolina squad pulled out a
23-16 win against South Carolina.
It was also around that
time that Thompson because academically qualified.
Those two factors prompted
some renewed interest from programs like Duke, Georgia Tech, N.C. State,
Virginia and Wake Forest.
“He did receive some
attention after the Shrine Bowl, but he handled it well,’’ Kirby said.
“He knew they (ECU) had made a commitment to him and he felt like he
should honor that.’’
The Pirates are getting a
physical, aggressive athlete who could possibly grow into a linebacker
once he gets into the nutrition and workout routine at ECU.
Although he played safety
at Eastern Alamance, Thompson did so with the tenacity of a linebacker.
He made 64 tackles, had two interceptions and broke up six passes as a
senior as Eastern went 11-4 and reached the regional finals.
“Matt is not known for
making interceptions,’’ Kirby said. “I think instead of looking for the
interception, at times he’s trying to find somebody to hit. He looks for
that contact first as opposed to trying to get his hands on the ball.
“Because he likes contact,
I think he could wind up at linebacker. He has the frame to put on a lot
of weight.’’
Thompson has been in the
Eastern Alamance program since he was a freshman. He played with the
junior varsity squad as a freshman before moving to the varsity as a
starter the next season.
Kirby recognized even as a
freshman that Thompson was a cut above most players his age.
“Sometimes you can sort of
look at a kid and see a kid is more developed than other kids his age,’’
Kirby said. “I think Matt has always had a little bigger physique. He
looks like he’s been in the weight room since he was born. I guess it’s
in the genes.’’
Thompson will be reunited
at ECU with an old Eastern Alamance teammate in
Emanuel Davis.
Davis, who will also be part of the recruiting Class of 2007, has played
his last three seasons at Manteo High School.
But as a freshman, Davis
lived in Mebane and played alongside Thompson in the secondary on
Eastern Alamance’s junior varsity squad. Davis is expected to play
cornerback at ECU.
“I think they may end up
rooming together,’’ Kirby said. “I think both those kids have a chance
to compete (for playing time) next year. I think they (ECU) graduated
some people at those spots.’’
