Keahnist Thompson chooses UCF: 'It felt like family'
Keahnist Thompson had opportunities to play for a lot of great schools, but at the end of the day one stood out above the rest: UCF.
The Lakeland defensive end announced his commitment to the Knights on Wednesday among a finalists group that also included Texas and Miami. He had officially visited all three schools during June.
"I felt like I had a really good relationship with the head coach, Coach (Gus) Malzahn and the whole defensive staff, including Coach T-Will (Travis Williams) and Coach (Kenny) Ingram especially," Thompson said. "Coach Pick (Caleb Pickrell) is over there too, somebody I'm real close to. It felt like family over there. Especially during the Bounce House Weekend visit, I felt like I was home. The other visits were great too, but in the back of my mind I already felt like UCF would be the one."
Thompson made things official with a phone call to the staff on Wednesday afternoon.
"After I got home from workouts, I called Coach Malzahn to let him know I was committed. He was real excited. He let me know that I'm family now. I also talked to Coach T-Will, Coach Ingram and Coach Pick. Coach T-Will was real excited, he said he was gonna go jump in his lake."
It's a big get for UCF, landing one of the nation's best defensive ends.
"Coach Ingram sees me as a pass rusher, but we honestly never talked a whole lot about football," Thompson said. "He talked more about what he sees in me as a person. He thinks I'm a great person and he would love to coach somebody like me."
UCF is trying to build a pipeline running into Lakeland, one of Florida's traditional powerhouse programs. The Knights already had a commitment from his teammate and friend, Miguel Maldonado.
"Oh yeah, he was definitely letting me know he wanted me to come to UCF with him," Thompson said. "It's going to be good having him there with me."
Thompson actually kept the decision private, letting Maldonado find out via social media like everybody else.
"I think I surprised him," Thompson said. "I know he's probably seen the post by now. I'll be talking to him later."
His family was also supportive.
"They're real excited," Thompson said.
Thompson says he played flag football and baseball as a kid, and initially thought baseball might be his future. But that changed when he got into tackle football.
"The first time I put the pads on and started hitting people, I knew this was for me," he said.
His favorite player growing up was Ray Lewis.
Thompson could potentially be a January enrollee for UCF and will make a final determination later in the fall. He's continuing to explore potential majors. He said he likes science and math, so maybe something engineering-based.
His focus is on ending his high school career with a state championship at Lakeland, then accomplishing that goal at the next level.
"I'm very excited about what we're gonna do at UCF," Thompson said. "One of the things Coach Malzahn says is we're gonna be National Champions in a couple years. I truly do believe that."
