Thompson always felt good about Texas Tech

The Texas Tech coaches offered Ennis (Texas) receiver Donta Thompson in early November and he became commitment No. 17 for the Red Raiders in the 2015 recruiting class with his announcement on Wednesday evening.

"I felt pretty good about Texas Tech since after my visit in November, but then we had the playoffs and were lucky enough to play deep into December," Thompson said. "I had a couple of other colleges that I liked at the time and wasn't sure if I was just caught up in the moment.

"I decided to keep things open to start the New Year and wanted to make sure by going on another visit. My official to Illinois was last weekend and I had fun up there. I felt a lot more comfortable at Texas Tech and there was just something different being around the program."

Thompson marks the third prospect to choose Texas Tech from Ennis high school within the past three years. First it was outside linebacker Malik Jenkins in 2013, then defensive back Jah'Shawn Johnson in 2014 and now Thompson in 2015.

"I was comfortable right away with my former teammates -- Malik and Jah'Shawn -- being there," Thompson said. "The Texas Tech coaches were around the program at Ennis since my sophomore year because they were recruiting Malik or Jah'Shawn, and other players.

"I knew the coaches weren't really interested back then, but we stayed in touch and the coaches would say hello whenever they came here to Ennis. Coach (Eric) Morris is who I kept in touch with and the coach that would come to see me."

Thompson knew that coach Morris planned on being in Ennis this week for the in-home visit on Wednesday and started thinking about making his commitment the day before.

"I really started thinking about it on Tuesday night because I knew that coach Morris was coming the next day," Thompson said. "I was thinking about it again the next morning, then coach came by the school to visit me and met with my parents later that day.

"We mostly talked and coach answered a lot of our questions, told us about the expectations for the offseason and when I would enroll. I'm probably going to be in Lubbock to visit during the spring practices for sure, but will be on campus in early June to enroll."

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound prospect shared more about his decision and where the Texas Tech coaches see him fitting into the offense.

"In the end, what led me out to Texas Tech was the offense they run," Thompson said. "With the position that I'm going to be playing, the Y-receiver role, similar to Jace Amaro. Coach wants me to play the stand-up tight end position and use my size to create space in the passing game.

"At Ennis, it usually depended on what type of team we were playing each week, but I played wide receiver and they shifted me around to tight end or the slot. Coach Morris told me about the stats their Y-receivers have put up with targets and catches since they took over at Texas Tech."

Thompson and his Ennis teammates won the 5A-Division 2 state championship this season and the now Texas Tech commitment made a last minute game-winning touchdown catch to help lead his team to victory.

Although that game-winning catch made in front of over 50,000 fans inside of AT&T Cowboys Stadium happened over a month ago in late December, Thompson admits the excitement and attention from the play has carried well into the month of January.

"Oh yeah, I would say just last week probably," Thompson said. "That took a long time to come down from, it was a special moment. It is humbling because kids in Ennis definitely look up to me now.

"The route was a straight up fade, no real move on the defensive back, just run straight. With my height, I create matchup problems and my quarterback threw it up where he couldn't get to it."

Thompson also had a successful senior year in terms of production with 77 receptions for 1,445 yards and 17 touchdowns in 15 games this season.

"I might not be the fastest guy, but when the ball is thrown to me then I feel like it's mine to catch," Thompson said. "My strength is using my size and body to create space, go get the football.

"I started at center on the varsity team my freshman year and have played every season until this year. Some of the skills I use on the court translate well into running routes and using my body as a receiver. That is something I very well and then I just try to make it difficult for people to tackle me."

Thompson chose the Red Raiders over offers from Kansas, Illinois, Colorado, Purdue and several others.

"I ended up with over ten offers and a lot of schools showing interest," Thompson said. "Coach (David) Beaty was recruiting me while he was at Texas A&M and got back in touch with me once he took over at Kansas to offer recently. I was already down to Texas Tech and Illinois though, decided not to take a visit.

"Coach (Tom) Herman started talking with me when he was at Ohio State and got back in touch with me once he took over at Houston. I actually had an official visit setup to Houston for this weekend, but cancelled after my commitment to Tech this week."

Thompson was named to the district 16-5A first team all-district team and second team all-area by the Dallas Morning News. He will be signing his letter of intent next Wednesday at 8 a.m. during a ceremony at Ennis.

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