Thompson excited about ASU official

Not long after attending a camp at UCLA this summer, receiver Al Thompson of Brentwood Academy (Tenn.) was offered a scholarship … by Arizona State.

"I guess the word got out that I performed well," Thompson said. "They heard I did pretty good."

It also didn't hurt that Thompson had a connection to the Sun Devils. His uncle went to high school with ASU receivers coach Steve Broussard.

"There was communication between those two," Thompson said.

Today, Arizona State is, at least at the moment, the program to beat. And on Friday -- his team is off this week --Thompson will leave for his official visit to Tempe.

"I just like the whole vibe I'm starting to get," Thompson said. "I want to go somewhere where I can have a chance to play early and somewhere where I can get the ball. They pass a lot and they play freshmen. They're losing a lot of receivers this year. They're taking four to five in my class. They're trying to bring them in and let them play."

In addition to watching ASU play host to Southern California, Thompson is looking forward to meeting Sun Devils coach Dennis Erickson. Might a commitment happen during his trip?

"It's always possible," Thompson said. "But I really don't want to commit on the spot. Obviously, wherever I go, they're going to show me things I like. They're going to show me the best. I don't want to commit on those emotions. I want to be able to go home, sit down with my dad and go over the pros and cons."

In addition to ASU, Thompson has offers from Tennessee State, UAB and Western Kentucky. He thinks Middle Tennessee could be next to pull the trigger.

Thompson has no other officials set up yet.

Keith Niebuhr can be reached at kneebs01@aol.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.