He is now at Westwood; former defensive coordinator Roderick Thompson has been named the interim head coach. Ive made a living off of beating a lot of four- and five-star kids with guys like you., Its awesome for a kid to get to hear that, Etheredge said. He and AU defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge are close friends. That's what Freeman's glowing resume is expected to bring. I always said why is Thompson never getting over the hill?. The former Jackson State offensive coordinator has now spent four seasons as head coach at Eufaula High School in southeast Alabama, about 80 minutes from Auburn. The speculation, the expectations from others took its toll, even on the normally unflappable Thompson, who admits he had a tendency to internalize his emotions. He even referenced the model set by former Cox Mill star Wendell Moore Jr., who led the Chargers to back-to-back state titles before going on to shine at Duke and become the first Cabarrus County-bred athlete to be chosen in the NBA Draft. Part of it, Thompson admits, was residue from the game of college recruiting. 2 in Alabama) and defensive lineman Peter Woods (No. Katy ISD. Coach Kirk Johnson has handled the football teams recruiting for a number of years, developing ties at Auburn. Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football. It's a recurring theme: Seven of the 14 coaches who spoke with the Advertiser hadnot met Harsin. Now, reaching the 30-win plateau -- in ONE season is the standard. 1 recruit in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. From there, he was recruited to the University of Georgia. Several high school coachessaid college coaches often don't do a sufficient job preparing players for the grind during recruitment, which leads to athletes being blindsided and more likely to leave. One Division-I school, Western Carolina, had confirmed as much when it offered him a scholarship after his freshman season. Tommy Thompson was 6-1 (185 cm) tall. He will get an extension to his contract of $13,068.60 as a 12-month employee. The top 25 class of 2023 football recruits - USA TODAY High School Sports Words wouldnt be able to explain that moment.. With his wife already a little miffed at him from moving away from Gulf Shores, Freeman didnt have any thoughts of leaving Spanish Fort for another high school job. With one of the states largest high school athletic programs at the Class 7A level, Hester said it would be beneficial for the school in many ways. Ganus arrived on campus to meet with the Blue Devils in a private team meeting at 11:30 a.m. McCaskey has found its football coach for the 2021 season, which is right around the corner. Coach Freeman led the Rebels to four State Championships in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007. Well, thats going to be some moment. Website. Ive lived my life thinking I can (out)work people. Hoover also puts out quality Division I players. Freeman would not arrive to greet a packed school board room until approximately 35 minutes later. OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) - Erik Thompson was born to be a football coach. All rights reserved (About Us). THS TV allows students the opportunity to work in all areas of production, including behind-the-scenes and on-camera for news programs, our "Hey Coach" show, live sports events such as football games, and other sports and entertainment programming. The only problem was that a number of coaches at prominent football schools have not met him. Follow him on Twitter for the latest high school cool across Alabama. Thomson's stats have been entered for the 56-38 win @ South Atlanta on 11/25/2022 6:00 PM. Lets just say that over the years, my writings have agitated some. Auburns top signee in the 2022 class was Williamson linebacker Robert Woodyard, a flipped commitment from Alabama. Jaiden Thompson (3) busts a move to get to the basket. Faulkner had been helping take care of Jaiden since he was yay high, back when he and his mother, Keyna Ricks, first moved back to Concord after a stint in Charlotte. His bloodlines are pretty good too, with his older brother Antwon at Arkansas State and his younger brother Anquon, a class of 2025 recruit, already holding offers from Florida, Georgia and Miami, among others. Being able to keep that promise for my grandma? Auburns staffparticularly Etheridge and director of high school relations Brendt Bedsole, a former high school coachhas impressed high school coaches. You have permission to edit this article. Harsin's message on the recruiting trail has been firm:Auburn wants a specific type of player who is ready to love football and meet his demanding standards. The viral TikTok quiz, explained, Tuscaloosa McFarland Chick-fil-A is moving. Things have been up and down, kind of like a roller coaster. Thompson's commitment to Freeman shows that the program is now joining that competition. His focus right now is getting past West Charlotte, into the state title game, and then coasting back down the interstate with a championship medal around his neck. "This is going to be a great day for our kids,' Alabaster City Schools Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers said. He also served as the Athletic Director at Bessemer Academy. On 12/9, the Thomson varsity football team won their neutral playoff game against Fitzgerald (GA) by a score of 32-27. resigned from his position after four very successful years, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. The list can go on and on because Hoover and Niblett, like their counterparts Freeman and Thompson, take their football seriously. That discrepancy was at the center of Auburn's recent turmoil. Thompson High School Head Football Coach Mark Freeman is the face of the Thompson Warriors, the 3-time defending Class 7A State Champions. The Alabaster City Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or age in any of its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Itll be an RPO, air-raid type system so we do need somebody that can spit the ball out and thats something well have to find in the program or in the hallways.. You can cancel at any time. Mostly, though, Thompson nurses his gift in rigorous practice sessions, has fun with his teammates, shows up on game night, and fills up a box score as the Vikings put opponents out of their misery. "It's not a hard place to recruit to. Tommy Thompson - pro-football-reference.com Despite its relatively new facilities a new high school opened in 2018 at 360,000 square feet at a cost of $88 million one wouldnt describe Alabaster as fancy. He was Alabamas first verbal commitment in the 2022 class when he made his decision in March 2020. One of the states current football hot spots is G.W. 40 area players named: Full ASWA all-state teams list To end another memorable season of high school football in the area, 40 players in East Alabama were recognized when Alabama Sports. Theyre going to find guys who want to do all those things.. He had been battling bone cancer, but is believed to have succumbed to complications from COVID-19. How do you go from that 6-4 year and what ways can I get our kids over that hump. I got outta there as fast as my Nissan with the lawn mower engine could go. One part of the team that will be missing is a starting quarterback, as A.J. WVUA 23 is a competitive professional commercial television, Paul Bryant's McKanstry signs with Independence CC football, Gordo High School celebrates 2023 signing class, Former Hillcrest standout Brandon Bishop announces transfer to Liberty, Paul Bryant football introduces new head coach, Tuesday afternoon crash victim identified, Soldier, poet, or king? Thompson was beside himself. His overall record in 16 years of coaching is 164-37, including a 30-8 playoff mark. She said, What are you going to do about it?. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. WVUA 23 is a competitive professional commercial television Niblett has led Hoover to three straight state titles in the AHSAA's largest classification. 6 recruits in the states 2023 class attend Carver: defensive lineman James Smith and edge Jaquavious Russaw. The two lowest-paid coaches on this salary scale both led their teams to the playoffs in 2014. Its so rewarding what we deal with. He will make a yearly stipend of $4,988. Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson, ranked as the nation's No. Mark Freeman attended Bessemer Academy and graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Youre going to be writing about him.. The Warriors went 5-5 in each of his first two seasons in 2015 and 2016. #alpreps https://t.co/F9GZmsQwGo, "Every team when that game kicks off they want to win," Freeman said. Lakeshore announces Danny Thompson as the school's new head football coach He was the offensive coordinator at Middleville High School since 2018. It was 1987 when he took the reins of the Thompson Middle School team in Newport. That facility will also come with a new football stadium. Thompson hadnt been particularly relevant before Freemans arrival, which is why the Warriors sudden emergence has ruffled some feathers. We had the opportunity to bring him in here, and he was interested in getting into athletics administration working closely with coach Pitts, Hester said. He said Alabama assistant Sal Sunseri visited our school at least once per week when time was permitted., Another prominent coach in Alabama who spoke on condition of anonymity, when asked the biggest difference between Alabama and Auburn, had a simple response: Coach Saban has come by and spent up to an hour visiting with us. Those totals did not include any monies received from head football coaches for their football camps. Thomson's stats have been entered for the 32-27 win vs. Fitzgerald on 12/9/2022 12:00 PM. But everybody is just on hold with a lot of these very good high school players. Ogden High football coach Erik Thompson not letting his battle - KSL He wants to keep the promise he made to his grandma before the season: no distractions, nothing but his best as he strives for his best. McCaskey football tabs assistant Ben Thompson as head coach for 2021 He knows theyll be there after that, too, no matter where he is in life. records may be incomplete. Watch this highlight video of the Thompson (Alabaster, AL) football team in its game Lipscomb Academy on Aug 27, 2022 All Contest Videos Box Score Jan 31, 2023 @ 5:51pm 5-star DB Anquon Fegans | 2022 Highlights Sophomore season highlights of Thompson's (Alabaster, AL) 5-star safety Anquon Fegans. 11 in the 247Sports Composite and already stands 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. We have chosen to publish this They advanced to the state semifinals in 2017 and the state championship game in 2018 before winning state titles in 2019 and 2020. There arent many words for that, Thompson says. They all apply to the focused Thompson, who actually plays as hard on defense as he does when hes working magic with the ball in his hands. CONCORD The thumping of the ball against the hardwood, the symphony of screeching sneaker rubber echoing throughout the gym used to be metaphors for Jaiden Thompsons heartbeat. 5 high school football team via SB Live, was to put its undefeated record on the line against another Birmingham-area program known for. I knew he had a plane to get to, and I kept trying to hurry him out, Eads said. Television Production Academy / TV & Film Home - Alabaster City Schools That type of concentrated talent may be just another season at a program like IMG Academy, but its not common at a public school like Thompson, which produced a total of one four- or five-star recruit in the past decade current Alabama offensive lineman Amari Kight, a four-star recruit in 2019. Like us on Facebook Ths Athletics and Follow us on Instagram THS_ATHLETICS. Freeman was also the coach of the All-Star football game seven consecutive seasons. The great thing is that Thompson has found peace in it all. It was a chance, but we knew it would be risky because we were in a great job in a great place. 2023 www.montgomeryadvertiser.com. 7 recruits played at Thompson. He has an offer right now, but he doesnt have that ONE. High school sports greats who died in 2022, 2022 high school football state champions, Georgia football state championship games. You cant describe him, Alexander said. Thompson high school-Miracle Win-Class 7A Championship-Alabama football Posted - 02/28/2023 : 12:35:46 . Faculty & Staff / Administration - Alabaster City Schools Harsin hadnt been to Thompson. But that foundation is there. Jaiden soared, proving himself in the AAU ranks, as well as with his C.C. 197 Posts. Higgins said Harsins message was an eye-opening experience for Mars Hill players about the rigors of college football: He was very adamant on: This is going to take some time. "I know I am saying blessed a lot, but what a day. Freeman, 55, told AL.com at the meeting that he hadn't even seen his contract or knew his final salary number. Thompson paused, realizing that that day had been his moment of clarity. I have a great team, a great family, and we could actually win this whole thing.. He's also not letting ALS take away his ability to coach, even if he's had to rely on . Jaiden Thompson poses with a plaque honoring him as the SPC Player of the Year after the Vikings won the conference tournament championship last month. But these next two weekends have special meaning. Tommy Thompson (soccer) - Wikipedia But after realizing that I wanted it for myself, then things just started to pick up.. OK, I was a lot alarmed. But during his time at Calera, Simpson was also the teams baseball coach during the 2017 and 2018 seasons and eventually became the schools athletic director. Former Auburn defensive line coach Nick Eason visited Eufaula in December, but he is the only Auburn staffer Rigby has seen at the school. Coaches liked that Harsin didn't hold back in that regard. Government & Public Administration: Air Force JROTC. The fact that neither Vestavia Hills coach Buddy Anderson are among the three highest-paid coaches in their own region is surprising. We have chosen to publish this information in hopes our visitors will participate in assisting us to complete every school. us to complete every school. Please subscribe to keep reading. Rigby hasn't met Harsin. Thompson's commitment to Freeman shows that the program is now joining that competition. Highland Home coach Will Pouncey hasnt seen Harsin visit, but he said Auburns assistants have had consistent contact. information in hopes our visitors will participate in assisting Plus, Thompson had obviously inherited at least part of his talent from his father, Andricko Thompson, who was a good basketball player in his native Shelby. Then theres Mitchell, a five-star 2023 recruit whos No. Shelby County Schools is currently looking to fill the head coaching position at Calera High School. Carver High School in Montgomery. Im trying to set them up for interceptions and PBUs.. 5 in the state and No. Funny how hard work works. A four-star recruit, hes ranked No. Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl leads the Cowboys onto the field before their game against Utah . Higgins was impressed. Eason is at Clemson now. Portsmouth High School names Keith MacDonald as new football coach Freeman resigned from Spanish Fort to accept the head coaching job at Thompson high school near Birmingham. Whatever that it is and wherever it takes him. var field59 = field59 || {}; Wherever the quarterback is, you know Peter is going to be there.. Baker said a player of Thompsons level likely wouldve already been scooped up in the past. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Tell us who the coach is Ways you can help Make an impact on this team, and help keep MaxPreps up-to-date.