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°ä³¢´¡³Û°Õ°¿±·Ìý— is still scratching the surface.

And he'll soon get to continue that journey for a college football program that has won three conference titles since 2019 and made four postseason appearances since 2018.

A Brentwood High senior and multi-sport athlete who is heading into his third season as a standout for the co-op Thompson announced his verbal commitment Monday to play for Southeast Missouri State.

Not bad for a guy who didn't play any sports leading up to his freshman year of high school.

"I said you have to try this thing out, you know, at least give it a chance," said Chris Robin, the Brentwood-Clayton associate head coach who is a teacher in the Brentwood school system and coordinates its players for the co-op squad.

"And then he said, 'Well, I'll try it out.' And that's how it's been since day one."

Even before Thompson put on pads as a freshman three years ago, Robin was certain of Thompson's potential as a football player.

Not one to shy away from trying new things, Thomas gave the gridiron a shot.

"I was like, you know, sure, I'll give it a try," Thompson said. "I started off as a freshman, learning the ropes, all that stuff. And then over time, I got better and better."

Thompson, the No. 28 recruit on the Post-Dispatch Super 30 countdown of the area’s top senior college football prospects, proved to be a quick learner, gravitating toward the defensive line and terrorizing opposing quarterbacks all last season.

Nick Schoemehl, the Brentwood-Clayton quarterback, is happy to have Thompson as a teammate.

"I'm not scared because he's on my team," Schoemehl said. "If I were an opposing quarterback, yeah, I'd be scared. He's a pretty scary dude."

As a junior, Thompson ranked among area leaders with 11 sacks.

Now a 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior, Thompson also had offers from Indiana State, Lindenwood and SIU Carbondale. His verbal commitment to SEMO is non-binding, and the first day high school seniors can sign letters of intent for football with NCAA Division I schools is Dec. 3.

The Redhawks shared the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference title last season before falling in the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

"I loved what they stand for and how SEMO portrayed themselves as. It honestly reminds me a lot about who I am and where I’ve come from," Thompson said. "The mentality of brick by brick is something that I’m very well aware of due to growing up with my mom and her being there every step of the way placing each and every brick to get to where we are today. My grandma and mom would be able to come and visit me on game days or really whenever they’d like due to how close SEMO is to everything I call home and family."

As effective as Thompson was on the defensive line, he also has shown the ability to be a gamebreaker on the other side of the ball.

Offensively, he caught 15 passes for 329 yards and six touchdowns in addition to rushing for 123 yards and a pair of scores. 

"Once he kind of trusted in himself and his ability to play this game, we always knew what his ceiling would look like, and he's still not there," Robin said. "Offensively, he surprised me in a lot of games. In the Windsor game, there were several plays where he caught the ball, and it's just, like, just high-stepping guys and pushing them off, and I'm like, I'd never seen that. That was new for us."

In that game, a 34-32 Windsor victory Sept. 20, Thompson scored four touchdowns, including three through the air on five receptions. He also piled up a season-high seven tackles. 

Any which way Thompson can be effective probably is a good game plan. 

"That's pretty much the goal," Robin said.

"Do what we can with him, put him in different spots, kind of make him the most versatile guy on the field. Just be 'the guy.' "

Thompson led the area in rebounds last winter for Brentwood's boys basketball team.

In the spring, he was a track and field standout. He won the Class 2 triple jump state championship and finished third in the 300-meter hurdles.

But football is his favorite, especially the physicality.

"It may sound crazy, but instilling fear into somebody else, like, I like that," Thompson said. "Playing tight end and receiver, I like blocking, because I'm a big receiver, so I enjoy blocking small corners. It's fun running past guys because they don't expect me to be fast. It's fun catching the ball for a touchdown. It's fun running the ball. (Football's) fun."

Thompson's love and attitude is infectious to his teammates.

"When he goes hard, it's making the whole team look like we have to go harder too, so we push ourselves harder so that we can also be up at his level," Brentwood/Clayton junior lineman TreShaun Dent said. 

Robin knows precisely what SEMO is getting in Thompson.

"They're getting the most humble, the most coachable, the most gracious kid that that once you give him the opportunity, you're going to be surprised at what he can do," Robin said.

Before Thompson heads off to the collegiate ranks in Cape Girardeau, he wants one more successful run wearing the Brentwood/Clayton helmet.

The team has posted a 12-10 record in two seasons since the co-op began in 2023.

"I mean, no matter how good or bad we are, I expect us to win," Thompson said. "I expect everybody to want it, just as bad, no matter if you're a freshman or a senior. If you're playing with me, you need to want it."