Hard to believe, but there are less than two weeks til the Broncos storm the Capital to take on the Hokies. As you may remember, last summer I embarked on the Herculean task of counting down a different roster spot for each remaining day until kickoff. So far this year, we're batting a thousand, so cheer me on through the homestretch...we're almost there.
We've got 13 days until kickoff...so today we'll be highlighting #13 on the Boise State roster—Brandyn Thompson
#13, Brandyn Thompson, Senior, CB
Stats
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 180 lbs.
High School: Franklin High School, Elk Grove, CA
How'd he get to The Blue™?
Thompson was a well-rounded three-sport athlete at Franklin High School, who lettered in football, basketball, and track. On the gridiron, Thompson was named first-team All-Delta League as both a junior and senior and accounted for over 1,200 all-purpose yards on offense in that span and over 60 tackles on defense his senior year. Thompson was rated a 2-star recruit by Scout.com and his only offer came from Boise State.
Nickname
"Jamar Taylor's Kyle Wilson"
Everybody's gotta be in someone's shadow, right?
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Look-a-like
Cockroach from The Cosby Show
Career highlights
Picked off 3 passes against Hawaii in 2008, the second most in one game in Bronco history. Finished 2008 with 4 INTs and 5 tackles-for-loss. Led team in interceptions (6) in 2009. Named 2010 Fiesta Bowl Defensive MVP after intercepting TCU QB Andy Dalton twice. Named to CBSSports.com's All-Bowl Team.
Career lowlight
Trial-by-fire against Colt Brennan's Hawaii squad as a true freshman in 2007.
2010 prospectus
Thompson has been quietly making plays for the Bronco D since his true freshman year. I say "quietly", obviously, because he's been lined up across from All-American and first-round NFL Draft pick Kyle Wilson all 3 seasons as a Bronco. As a sophomore and junior starter, Thompson started to make his own name for himself as a bit of a ballhawk, famously intercepting 3 passes against Hawaii in 2008 in a year where he only had 4 total picks. It was clear from his sophomore season on that Thompson wasn't content to just sit in Kyle Wilson's shadow...he became more of a playmaker, more of a lockdown corner, and showed opposing QBs that they weren't safe by just throwing away from Wilson's side of the field. Thompson's MVP performance in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl solidified one more tag for the second-best corner on the team: big game cornerback. With the Virginia Tech game looming for the Broncos, they will need Thompson to show some of the big-game presence that was on display against TCU. They can't afford for him to rest easy knowing that he is now the man at corner in Wilson's absence. One thing that many will forget about the 2010 Fiesta Bowl is that Thompson's heroics were followed up by blown coverages and miscues. The Broncos can't have an up-and-down year or even game from Thompson in 2010—he has to be Wilson-solid right out of the gate. Thompson can seal his legacy as a Bronco in 2010: a footnote to Kyle Wilson's amazing career, or a star in his own right. We'll know what kind of senior year Thompson is in for in just 13 days. I think he's capable of an All-WAC campaign...consistency is the only remaining piece of Thompson's puzzle.
Completely made up fact
After graduating, Brandyn has a lucrative endorsement deal lined up with Thompson's Water Seal.