jpzx
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I was assigned to cover the Gophers football team for all seven of their home games plus I traveled to Camp Randall for the last game of the season when they played the Badgers:
- Not heavily recruited out of H.S. at all (Portland State and Minnesota were his finalists), played both sides of the ball (RB on offense). Had 1,808 yards on just 157 carries as a senior in H.S. (11.5 yards/carry).
- Thompson was the Gophers only consistent safety all of last season. They rotated the other safety spot between CB Derrick Wells, S Antonio Johnson and others.
- Minnesota's pass defense was fourth in the conference last year. Not a pass-happy conference of course, conveyed by Connor Cook being the No. 1 overall pick right now in early 2016 mock drafts :x (Trust me, he's not going to be at this time next year. He looks like Mallett in size but... we all saw what happened to Mallett). I'm off on a tangent , but main point is that I don't think that can be really looked at.
- He isn't the type of person who folds in big moments; a leader through and through.
- Led team in tackles (79) as a junior (a team that had LB Damien Wilson on it, who was drafted in the fourth round by Dallas this past weekend, and also Ra'Shede Hageman, who went in the second round to Atlanta in the 2014 draft), second on the team in tackles (83) as a senior (only trailed Wilson).
- Didn't force an enormous number of takeaways, but the Gophers didn't play a defense that catered to gambling. Tracy Claeys, Minnesota defensive coordinator, would essentially have the secondary stick to their assignments/zone coverages in the hopes that the LBs exotic blitzes would cause the secondary to produce turnovers rather than having to create them themselves. Didn't have much freedom to roam, I guess.
If there's anything else about him you were wondering I might be able to help, so just shoot if so.
- Not heavily recruited out of H.S. at all (Portland State and Minnesota were his finalists), played both sides of the ball (RB on offense). Had 1,808 yards on just 157 carries as a senior in H.S. (11.5 yards/carry).
- Thompson was the Gophers only consistent safety all of last season. They rotated the other safety spot between CB Derrick Wells, S Antonio Johnson and others.
- Minnesota's pass defense was fourth in the conference last year. Not a pass-happy conference of course, conveyed by Connor Cook being the No. 1 overall pick right now in early 2016 mock drafts :x (Trust me, he's not going to be at this time next year. He looks like Mallett in size but... we all saw what happened to Mallett). I'm off on a tangent , but main point is that I don't think that can be really looked at.
- He isn't the type of person who folds in big moments; a leader through and through.
- Led team in tackles (79) as a junior (a team that had LB Damien Wilson on it, who was drafted in the fourth round by Dallas this past weekend, and also Ra'Shede Hageman, who went in the second round to Atlanta in the 2014 draft), second on the team in tackles (83) as a senior (only trailed Wilson).
- Didn't force an enormous number of takeaways, but the Gophers didn't play a defense that catered to gambling. Tracy Claeys, Minnesota defensive coordinator, would essentially have the secondary stick to their assignments/zone coverages in the hopes that the LBs exotic blitzes would cause the secondary to produce turnovers rather than having to create them themselves. Didn't have much freedom to roam, I guess.
If there's anything else about him you were wondering I might be able to help, so just shoot if so.
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