Carolina OL lists favorite
Junior To Watch: James Thompson
School: Sumter, S.C.
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Position: Offensive tackle
Size and speed: Thompson is 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds. He runs the 40-yard dash in 5.0 seconds. He boasts a 405-pound bench press, 460-pound squat and a 290-pound power clean.
Honors: All-area
Statistics: Thompson graded at 86-percent with 24 knockdowns as a junior.
Favorite schools: Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Clemson, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Skinny: Thompson is going into his fourth year as a starter for the Gamecocks. He is one of the premiere offensive linemen in the state of South Carolina this year. Thompson has impressive ability, but still works hard.
“I love the physical contact. I’ve got quick feet and agility,” he said. “I am still working on my footwork and speed though. I'm also working on my running and pass blocking.”
Thompson is looking to get away from home when he chooses a college.
“I do plan to go out of state. I like some of those colleges better than the ones I have seen in state,” he said. “I’m looking at colleges in between city and town without too many people.”
Thompson already has offers from South Carolina, Clemson, South Carolina State, and Maryland. However, none of those made his top three -- Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee. Thompson had the following to say about his leaders.
Georgia: “I went down there a couple of years ago. I like their strength and conditioning program. The campus looks brand new and they are interested in players graduating.”
Tennessee: “I like the weight room and the coaching staff. I like their graduation rate, too."
Virginia: “I like the coaching staff and facilities. The graduation rate is up there and I like that. Right now I am favoring them a little bit. A lot of their coaches have coached in the NFL and their players go to the NFL and that’s what I’m looking for.”
Thompson plans to attend summer football camps at Virginia, North Carolina, and possibly a couple of others.