Names to know Part 3: Jayme Thompson (DB/Husky)
By TC Malik
Over the next couple of weeks I will be discussing some Indiana football players that you may have not heard of but should keep an eye on. Some of these players have flown under the radar as recruits, transferred to Indiana from high profile schools, or been forced to sit out a year due to various reasons.
Jayme Thompson, along with Richard Lagow, enrolled at Indiana University during the spring semester last season and ended up rooming together for the rest of the year. Both players came from high profile schools and are currently trying to get their bearings at IU. They even needed some help navigating campus the first couple weeks as I saw them both walking by the union looking awfully confused like they were lost. They stopped me and asked me where the union was, and because it was there first week on campus, I had to guide them to the building across the street. Thompson has since learned a lot more about the IU community on and off the field.
Thompson was a player that was an absolute stud in high school, committed to a college football powerhouse, and under-performed during his first season. He was an ESPN 300 recruit and rated as the top safety in Ohio and 12th best in the nation. As an Ohio native, Thompson chose to play for the school that every local Ohio player dreams of, the Ohio State Buckeyes.
During the 2013 season at Ohio State, Thompson was forced to be redshirted and sit out the season due to his severe broken ankle during fall camp. After he had announced his transfer, there was much speculation on whether or not Ohio State would allow him to transfer elsewhere in the Big Ten. Many dominant college football schools practice this same concept, most notably being Alabama who recently blocked safety, Maurice Smith’s transfer to rival Georgia.
Thompson had his eyes on many other programs after he announced his transfer, none of them included the Hoosiers. He was deciding between Louisville, Penn State, Wisconsin, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Maryland. This list ended up not holding any ground as Jayme decided it would be best to take a year off of major college football and take his talents to the JUCO ranks at Iowa Western community college.
His time at Iowa Western was well spent, he was third on the team in tackles (81), had a couple of picks and led them to an 11-1 record and a national championship game appearance. For a man dropping from Ohio State to JUCO, he still received a lot of attention and was pegged as the #2 junior college safety in the country according to 247Sports.
Indiana was recruiting him for the past couple of seasons and had been trying to get him to visit because they knew it would be the right fit. They were proven right as Thompson said “he really was enjoying it on his visit” Thompson’ according to his former coach, Scott Strohmeier.
The kid isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty and throw his body around to make plays for his team. During his time at Iowa Western he was very versatile, playing both in the secondary as well as being a physical presence on the defense as a linebacker.
As many of you know, Tom Allen is Indiana’s new defensive coordinator and he’s changing the identity of the defense. In his defensive scheme there’s a position called “husky” which is a combination between a safety and a linebacker. Thompson fits this mold perfectly, as he has experience at both positions and it allows him to be the versatile player that he is both in the passing and running game.
One of Thompson’s strengths is his ability to create havoc in the run game, even when he’s positioned at safety. He plays downhill and is a great run supporter which is what Indiana’s secondary has been missing.
Think of Indiana’s secondary with Rashard Fant, Ben Bach, and Tony Fields –there aren’t a lot of physical presences back there. Those guys pride themselves on their cover skills and rarely get the chance to go head on with some of the best running backs in the conference.
For instance, last season against Ohio State, Ezekiel Elliot gashed the Hoosiers for long touchdowns on multiple short yardage situations. The box was packed with Hoosiers, meaning if Elliot could bust through that original line, he was gone. Think of if Thompson was playing during one of those situations, he has the build and drive to take down Elliot and other powerful backs. That could have been the difference in the game that catapulted IU to a win. It only takes one play and thats what Indiana hopes to see out of Jayme Thompson this season.
Indiana’s needs on the defensive side of the ball are evident from last season as they ranked close to last in the FBS in total defense. The defense under Tom Allen will be very different from previous seasons, as attitudes and schemes have changed, but the will to win still remains prominent.
The coaching staff needs to see more out of Thompson to pencil him in as a starter during week one, although we don’t know what else they need to see out him but we can speculate. Perhaps coach Wilson is looking for Thompson to become more of a vocal leader because he has the big-time college football experience and seniority than some other players don’t possess.
Jayme Thompson is physical, he’s versatile and he will have to show the coaching staff that he’s still that 4-star recruit from Toledo that has the ability to impact the game. Thompson should vie for some crucial playing time next season, predominantly in the “husky” position.