Eldridge Thompson fits an unusual mold when it comes to junior college football players.
Most of the time, those athletes are expected to come in as more finished products, players ready to step onto the field and immediately fill a need. Thompson might well do that, but it’s his long-term potential that could be most notable.
“I think by the time he’s a senior, he could be one of the better SEC linebackers out there,” said Chris Clevenger, Thompson’s position coach as a freshman at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. “He’s got the head for it. Definitely got the size, got the bone structure.