2013 Gator Commitment #16: WR Chris Thompson -Gainesville High School, Gainesville FL

[GATORAZ]

WR Chris Thompson 6-0 170 ***
Gainesville High School
Gainesville, Florida
7.30.2012 Commitment

**********

welcome to gatornation

here are some sophomore highlights

5' 11 170 runs a 4.4 40

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7484uhfqQzE

[utahg8r]

4 WR. So happy to see this. Now, I hope we get a 4th (or even 5th) OL to help make some time for these receivers to get open.
Oh, and welcome to Gator Nation, Chris!

Go Gators!

[woltes]

five days 5 recruits! Tearing it up!

[deep_threat]

Nvm about my earlier question AZ lol. I just saw this on Twitter. I'm STONED

[deep_threat]

Lol, I meant to say STOKED. He worked hard for that offer, wants to be a Gator, and is a very very solid pick up. Speed to burn and decent size. Seems like a good kid too from what I can tell

[Spiff24]

Nvm about my earlier question AZ lol. I just saw this on Twitter. I'm STONED

:laugh: I suppose that's one way to celebrate!

[sbcg8r]

Ha! Are you sure deep???? :)

[deep_threat]

:laugh: I suppose that's one way to celebrate!

Lmao. Easily one of the best spell checks of my lifetime lol

[deep_threat]

Ha! Are you sure deep???? :)

:laugh:

[thedyc09]

I'm guessing the WR class is finished then.

[DieAGator]

:laugh: I suppose that's one way to celebrate!

LOL, hillarious. :)

[wolfjs70]

I still think Treadwell is a +1

[SirRaj]

I know there are some people disappointed that we got Thompson rather than Bailey. However, the coaches have seen this guy extensively and have seen how he responds to their coaching. Raw potential (apparently 4.37, 40), drive, and coach-ability = solid SEC contributor without the drama.

[woltes]

ESPN says he could be an under the radar steal. This staff is on fire right now! I hope all the Gator Haters out there enjoyed the last couple years because we won't be losing for long!

[FloridaxGators1]

Just watched his highlights... he's good... very good

[DieAGator]

I still think Treadwell is a +1

My guess is treadwell's a bit of a long shot anyway and Chris Thompson would not be a factor to him.

Marqui Hawkins recruited to play WR right? Even if we end up with 5 WRs this class just means we might have a small WR class in 14'. Four of our eight on roster are JR/SR. To our 14' class it will look like we have nine on roster but a couple will be SRs, and a couple others won't likely look to be SEC caliber WRs, for whatever reasons. Just saying, if we did end up with five WRs this class it will not look like we are too crowded for a couple elite players with confidence.

[GATORAZ]

I still think Treadwell is a +1

probably but the odds we get him are real slim

[DieAGator]

Question for anyone:

Chris was at FNL and actually competed against good DBs? I take it he looked pretty competitive.

[GATORAZ]

Question for anyone:

Chris was at FNL and actually competed against good DBs? I take it he looked pretty competitive.

There were some elite 2014 DB's and a few good 2013 ones, so I assume he got some nice reps in especially since Starver was throwing to him. FNL was the 2nd Gator camp he impressed in.

[gatorbait1]

Nice pick up! A smart and competitive young man who really showed he wants to be a gator! Came out and competed! He earned his scholarship! Love that about him. I love that when he scored a t.d he was throwing GATOR CHOMPS at the other recruits representing before he even had an offer!!!

[ThePlayer]

Just watched his highlights... he's good... very good

How high is he ranked?

[mfpardnor2]

Welcome to the family.

[rserina]

How high is he ranked?
Unranked by two of them, ranked two stars by another (which essentially means they haven't graded him either). ESPN has him as a three and #82 receiver.

The whole thing is sort of weird with Thompson. He has great (confirmed) speed and he has been on the radar for awhile, but he hasn't received many offers and he hasn't so much as been given a ranking from two sites. I don't get it.

Whatever the case, he has major speed, the staff has followed him very closely, and he has competed in front of our coaches at camp. Doubt he will be a difference maker, but he certainly gives us a nice complement to bigger guys like Fullwood and Hawkins.

[gatorich]

First off, I think this will be a solid pick-up. I love getting kids that WANT to be Gators! Hope Chris works his tail off to show he deserves to be a Gator.
Next, it has been no secret that CT wanted to be a Gator very badly. That has probably made several schools shy away from him and just doesn't make him as big a story for the recruiting sites and thus the low rankings. If WM and company like him enough to offer then I don't care about the stars.

[StrangeGator]

He seems to fit well with the other committed WRs, especially if his speed is for real. I hope we continue to pursue some plus-one types at WR.

[MadduxFanII]

The dynamic from now until signing day is going to be really interesting. 21 commitments in a class that should have between 24 and 26 players. Not a lot of seats left in the airplane. I imagine Muschamp and Co. will invest as much time playing defense (holding on to commitments) as they will pursuing the uncommitted.

This is a different sort of strategy than we've pursued in the past. Interesting to see how it all plays out.

[Gator_84_88]

Unranked by two of them, ranked two stars by another (which essentially means they haven't graded him either). ESPN has him as a three and #82 receiver.

The whole thing is sort of weird with Thompson. He has great (confirmed) speed and he has been on the radar for awhile, but he hasn't received many offers and he hasn't so much as been given a ranking from two sites. I don't get it.

Whatever the case, he has major speed, the staff has followed him very closely, and he has competed in front of our coaches at camp. Doubt he will be a difference maker, but he certainly gives us a nice complement to bigger guys like Fullwood and Hawkins.

Rserina so much of it is which camps (if any) they attend. Kids go to some camps that are not going to give them any visibility. A lot of the time it's finances. I don't know Chris' situation but two star or no star i am elated he is a Gator.

[TnCamoGator]

I know there are some people disappointed that we got Thompson rather than Bailey. However, the coaches have seen this guy extensively and have seen how he responds to their coaching. Raw potential (apparently 4.37, 40), drive, and coach-ability = solid SEC contributor without the drama.

4.37??? Niceee! The highlights I watched were of his freshman year and he's really talented. He's so underrated it ain't funny. Diamond in the rough is what he is. I'm so glad he's a gator. This is the first WR class I've been excited about since harvin came to town. (not saying much cause recruiting that position since then has been painful) but still I'm excited to see him, fulwood, Hawkins, and Adams terrorize SEC secondary's!!

[DuPontGator]

Nvm about my earlier question AZ lol. I just saw this on Twitter. I'm STONED

I got the nachos...

[GatorSam]

I don't know about his size. I'd rather see all of our wideouts be 6 ft+.

[DMann]

Ace Sanders is Spur's top WR this year and Thompson is already taller and probably weighs as much as Sanders who is a senior (I believe). I think their speed is about equal.

Well earned offer and welcome Chris.

[deep_threat]

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/909787/highlights/9585377

Junior season HUDL highlights. Solid!!

[deep_threat]

I'm not sure what the difference is between his highlights and any other 4 star wide out. I don't really understand rankings.

[sflgator05]

I don't know about his size. I'd rather see all of our wideouts be 6 ft+.

I think his size it what is working against him.Elite receivers are now easily over 6'2 creating mismatches but it won't be a problem once he hits the weights.

[Gatorallstar1012]

I'm not sure what the difference is between his highlights and any other 4 star wide out. I don't really understand rankings.

Sometimes i think its where you play, and who offers you more than anything but i dont care about rankings i just want good players who are willing to work hard which he seems to be.

[DieAGator]

Doubt he will be a difference maker, but he certainly gives us a nice complement to bigger guys like Fullwood and Hawkins.

You say that and I tend to agree. It's easy to fall in love with the idea that our staff found The Hope diamond-in-the-rough. We do that from time to time, all fan bases are prone to that. But he can obviously catch and with his speed if all he does is force defenses to stay close maybe it makes the "better" WRs more successful.

I have no idea routes our offense will utilize and I doubt could be any better with button hooks than some of our WRs in previous schemes. Staff either believes he can get some important things done on the field or got tired of trying to close WRs.

Anyone notice any poor technique or inabilities in his film?

Here's what Scout says:
"Thompson has very good speed. He can get behind a secondary or make defenders miss with his quickness. He can go up and get the ball and has very good leaping ability and body control. Perhaps his strongest attribute is his ability to separate from defenders, especially coming out of his breaks. This is a big play receiver who's likely destined to play in the slot because he lacks ideal size to play on the outside.

Strengths:

Downfield Threat
Elusiveness with Catch
Route Running Skills"

http://florida.scout.com/a.z?s=168&p=8&c=1&nid=5164746

Sounds like they are describing an elite WR. He's probably going to grow a little taller an likely hits 180ish by end of his SO season. He'll probably have a very good SR HS year.

[Speedofsand]

I'm not sure what the difference is between his highlights and any other 4 star wide out. I don't really understand rankings.

Like I said in the Bailey thread, its all about which CAMPS a kid attends. CT might be an example of no stars to 4 stars in 12th grade. :shhh:

[StrangeGator]

For a WR to get high ratings and rankings, he needs a good to great QB (or perhaps be the QB). It's hard to get numbers if the QB doesn't throw well or it's a run oriented offense. Don't know the situation at GHS. My guess is that the coaches want at least one absolute burner. There aren't a lot in this class. The top rate WRs are more big than fast. Coley with all his athleticism doesn't have elite top end speed. I think Fullwood was our fastest commit until today.

[DMann]

Looks like a natural return man with his speed and awareness. Also, the ability to create seperation then go up and get the ball is something we've not seen for a couple years except with Debose on rare occasion.

I think Pease will have the tools to run his offense by the time the '13 receivers get here. A year with a real OC should make it even easier to recruit great offensive players. COME ON SEPTEMBER!

[PSGator66]

His QB looked pretty damn good too!

[The_Graygator]

Just watched his highlights... he's good... very good


These kinds of lower-ranked kids who grew up Gators, who WANT to be Gators, and out-perform everyone else with hard work to get that offer are usually the ones who end up being great ones.

Welcome aboard Mr. Thompson!

[The_Graygator]

I don't know about his size. I'd rather see all of our wideouts be 6 ft+.

Gainesville Sun says he's 6'.

[DieAGator]

Haha, he went from NR(non ranked) to 3 star #66 ranked WR on Scout overnight. I imagine sometimes the services don't have a man to go watch every player in the "draft" so they rely on offers and interest from other programs. This seems to be the case here... they "trust the coaches".

[thedyc09]

Not every college WR needs to be Calvin Johnson to be successful. You can count on one hand the truly elite physical specimens that have been dominant WR over the last 5-10 years (Megatron, Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Julio Jones, and AJ Green are the only ones off the top of my head), whereas every year there are a few dozen 5'11" 190 4.5 guys who lead their team in receiving. I think too often with skill players we forget how much of a difference football IQ, want-to, and practice can make.

[Tebowism0823]

Chris Thompson will be the steal of the recruiting year. I've seen him play a few times and seen him perform in front of the coaches. He is GOOD and the coaches love him. He's very physical. When the balls not in his hands or coming his way, he's steam rolling some player down the field or into the ground. Crazy work ethic.

[enviroGator]

Chris Thompson will be the steal of the recruiting year. I've seen him play a few times and seen him perform in front of the coaches. He is GOOD and the coaches love him. He's very physical. When the balls not in his hands or coming his way, he's steam rolling some player down the field or into the ground. Crazy work ethic.

Like the sound of that.

[Dreamliner]

Chris Thompson will be the steal of the recruiting year. I've seen him play a few times and seen him perform in front of the coaches. He is GOOD and the coaches love him. He's very physical. When the balls not in his hands or coming his way, he's steam rolling some player down the field or into the ground. Crazy work ethic.

6-0, fast, physical, running over people after catching the ball. Sounds a little like, dare I say it ? Percy Harvin.

[GATORAZ]

Haha, he went from NR(non ranked) to 3 star #66 ranked WR on Scout overnight. I imagine sometimes the services don't have a man to go watch every player in the "draft" so they rely on offers and interest from other programs. This seems to be the case here... they "trust the coaches".

a few services evaluated and ranked him after they saw him at FNL. Every major service was there and saw his performance.

[gatorbait5]

6-0, fast, physical, running over people after catching the ball. Sounds a little like, dare I say it ? Percy Harvin.

There's no way a 2 or 3 star receiver who had to work this hard for an offer is even in the same class as Percy. Hopefully he keeps working hard and contributes early as a gator but I wouldn't get your hopes up that he is going to be as good as Percy.

[kellgator]

These kinds of lower-ranked kids who grew up Gators, who WANT to be Gators, and out-perform everyone else with hard work to get that offer are usually the ones who end up being great ones.

Welcome aboard Mr. Thompson!

Speaking of working hard, I stopped by the swamp today just to take a look at the progress of renovation and guess who I saw running ramps with a weight harness around his waist and doing a ton of push-ups? Chris Thompson, that's who. I was sweating just from the walk from the O-Dome lot to the stadium and there he was killing himself in that heat. Two other bigger guys were with him. I assume they were teammates of his at GHS. The kid is ripped, but could definitely use a few more pounds of muscle. I'm sure he'll have no problem putting on an extra 5 to 10 pounds of good weight between now and next fall if he works like he was today all year long. No wonder the coaches love him. He's probably there all the time working out.

[deep_threat]

Speaking of working hard, I stopped by the swamp today just to take a look at the progress of renovation and guess who I saw running ramps with a weight harness around his waist and doing a ton of push-ups? Chris Thompson, that's who. I was sweating just from the walk from the O-Dome lot to the stadium and there he was killing himself in that heat. Two other bigger guys were with him. I assume they were teammates of his at GHS. The kid is ripped, but could definitely use a few more pounds of muscle. I'm sure he'll have no problem putting on an extra 5 to 10 pounds of good weight between now and next fall if he works like he was today all year long. No wonder the coaches love him. He's probably there all the time working out.

That is AWESOME.

[StrangeGator]

6-0, fast, physical, running over people after catching the ball. Sounds a little like, dare I say it ? Percy Harvin.

No, you can't say it. It's officially against board policy to compare any WR recruit to Percy Harvin.

[Dreamliner]

No, you can't say it. It's officially against board policy to compare any WR recruit to Percy Harvin.

I know. You'd think I'd be a quick study after all these years.

[Tebowism0823]

There's no way a 2 or 3 star receiver who had to work this hard for an offer is even in the same class as Percy. Hopefully he keeps working hard and contributes early as a gator but I wouldn't get your hopes up that he is going to be as good as Percy.

although I agree it's way too early for comparisons, he is far better than a 2 or 3 star rating.

[DieAGator]

although I agree it's way too early for comparisons, he is far better than a 2 or 3 star rating.

Well, if he can just catch and score as well as they say Tebow cannot throw TD passes.

[Tebowism0823]

Well, if he can just catch and score as well as they say Tebow cannot throw TD passes.

Didn't you know heisman winners can't throw TDs.

[bofusgators]

Way to go Gators.

[gatorbait1]

Didn't you know heisman winners can't throw TDs.

No I didn't know that!

[DeBigLeezard]

These kinds of lower-ranked kids who grew up Gators, who WANT to be Gators, and out-perform everyone else with hard work to get that offer are usually the ones who end up being great ones.

Welcome aboard Mr. Thompson!

Spot on Gray...
Look at Lee McGriff.
Small... not extremely fast but very quick, elusive and smart... with great hands.

I played football with Lee back in middle school and high school in Tampa.
Back at Wilson Junior High, he was only 128 pounds... soaking wet. But he was our top receiver...by far.
We called him, "The Squirrel" because he was so small and quick.

Walked on at Florida. (Not too sure if he had gotten any major college offers...)
Earned a four year scholarship.
Became All-SEC and then... NFLer with the Dallas Cowboys.

When you watch the video interviews of Chris Thompson... he is all humble and wanted very badly to be a Gator.
Now... he's got his dream!

[gatorhaze]

Chris Thompson will be the steal of the recruiting year. I've seen him play a few times and seen him perform in front of the coaches. He is GOOD and the coaches love him. He's very physical. When the balls not in his hands or coming his way, he's steam rolling some player down the field or into the ground. Crazy work ethic.

This sounds more like Riley Cooper to me.

[wolfjs70]

This sounds more like Riley Cooper to me.

That I could definitely live with.

[Tebowism0823]

This sounds more like Riley Cooper to me.

I'd say that's a fair comparisons obviously without the height.

[GATORAZ]

I am not seeing the Cooper thing

[Tebowism0823]

I am not seeing the Cooper thing

Great work ethic, great blocker, going till the whistle blows. Sounds like Coup to me.

[thedyc09]

Great work ethic, great blocker, going till the whistle blows. Sounds like Coup to me.

I don't know, Cooper was a real dirt dog, had all the intangibles, high football IQ, a real scrappy player. I'm just not seeing the similarity. :lie:

[Tebowism0823]

I don't know, Cooper was a real dirt dog, had all the intangibles, high football IQ, a real scrappy player. I'm just not seeing the similarity. :lie:

I hear ya....lol

[GATORAZ]

Great work ethic, great blocker, going till the whistle blows. Sounds like Coup to me.

It should sound like every player the coaches bring into Florida. I am talking about what they bring to the football field as in skill set.

[Tebowism0823]

It should sound like every player the coaches bring into Florida. I am talking about what they bring to the football field as in skill set.

Have you ever seen him play? I have, multiple times, and its a very fair comparison.

[RayGator]

Go Gators!

[Speedofsand]

GHS 17
Columbia 14

[deep_threat]

GHS 17
Columbia 14

How did Chris Thompson do? I would ask how Tunsil did but there is very little to no chance he is coming here. Bleh

[DeBigLeezard]

Yea...
Living out of state... it is hard to follow these guys...
How did Thompson do?
And anyone know how did Laremy perform?

[Speedofsand]

GHS wide receiver Chris Thompson got knocked out of the game in the second half after going high for a reception. His status is unknown.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120906/ARTICLES/120909712/1109/sports?Title=Hurricanes-outlast-Tigers

edit: photo 18 caption says he hurt his ankle

[RayGator]

I never saw any updates posted about his injury status.

[StrangeGator]

GHS wide receiver Chris Thompson got knocked out of the game in the second half after going high for a reception. His status is unknown.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120906/ARTICLES/120909712/1109/sports?Title=Hurricanes-outlast-Tigers

edit: photo 18 caption says he hurt his ankle

That's much of an endorsement for the Riley Cooper comparison. Someone would have been knocked out of the game, but it would have been the defender. Seriously! Cooper was 6'4", weighed about 210 and had speed to burn. He used to outrun Brandon James on punt returns to get out front and block for him.