Jerrin Thompson, hype man for the Texas Longhorns secondary

For the first time during his Texas career, junior safety Jerrin Thompson was made available to the media. He had a lot of things to say on Tuesday, with almost all of it being effusive praise for his teammates.

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Before he started hyping up those in the secondary around him, Thompson first gave his overall thoughts on the team as they enter a mock game week.

He felt as if the Longhorns had come together throughout the offseason, and that leadership was improved. He thought his communication had improved, too, an aspect critical to success at the safety position. He felt like in the safety group, he shared a strong bond with his teammates and his coaches.

“I love that he coaches hard,” Thompson said about safeties coach Blake Gideon. “He wants the best out of you. That’s one thing as a player I want, to be coached. Coach Gideon has pushed me really hard and he wants the best out of me.”

Then as the questions started coming about his teammates, he served as the secondary’s hype man.

Freshmen BJ Allen and Larry Turner-Gooden?

“I feel all our young guys are improving a lot faster than a normal freshman,” Thompson said.

What about D’Shawn Jamison, who created plenty of turnovers in practices and scrimmages during training camp?

“I think D’Shawn Jamison had a pretty good camp,” Thompson said. “He’s that leader. He’s one of the oldest guys on the team. He has a lot of experience, and he just brings that with the team. He shows what he can do to the team.”

Is he teaching guys like Kitan Crawford and Anthony Cook, two players who moved to safety this offseason, the ins and outs of the position?

“I wouldn’t say teach,” Thompson said. “I would say that we all help each other off the field. We like to encourage each other even when we make a bad play. When we make a good play, it’s all the same.”

Speaking of Cook, Thompson thought the instincts shown by the former corner and nickel have translated at his new position.

“It was something he was comfortable with,” Thompson said. “He understands what we’ve got to do. Him being a guy who has a lot of reps on the field makes it a lot easier for him.”

As the questions continued to flow, Thompson kept complimenting his teammates. Who was the hardest hitter? “We’ve got a lot of hard hitters,” Thompson said.

Even other players who changed positions were beneficiaries of Thompson’s time in front of the microphone.

“Mo is a striker,” Thompson said of Morice Blackwell. “He loves to hit. He’s one of those that loves to learn. He’s developing really good.”

And Jaylon Guilbeau?

“He’s one of the guys who came in ready to work,” Thompson said. “I feel like he’s real focused. He’s determined to get better. That’s one thing that shows out about JG, he shows you that he’s ready to work.”

What about Jamier Johnson?

“Jamier is a very smart corner,” Thompson said. “He has very good instincts at that corner position.”

Ohio State transfer Ryan Watts? Thompson mentioned Watts never talks about his time in Columbus, Ohio.

“He just comes to practice and does his job,” Thompson said.

Offensive players weren’t immune from mention. Quinn Ewers and Ja’Tavion Sanders were two players Thompson highlighted as having good camps. Even non-scholarship players like Michael Taaffe earned a Thompson shoutout.

“For one, I have tremendous love for walk-ons,” Thompson said. “Taaffe, he’s a walk-on and he plays safety. Taaffe is one of those guys like JG who work hard, and they show you that everything they want, they’re going to get. He’s a very smart player. He knows the game.”

Why all the praise for teammates? Thompson was eventually asked an area he improved upon during the offseason. After all, he started five of the first six games before he was replaced by Brenden Schooler in the starting line up. Then, at the end of the year, he returned to the first 11 in the win over Kansas State.

He shied away from the question and preferred to talk about his teammates.

“This is my role,” Thompson said. “I want to make my teammates better. That’s one thing I take pride in, communication. And everybody around me, putting them in the best position they can be in.”

It’s something he believes will help the Longhorns play better defense this season.

“I feel like the secondary is coming together,” Thompson said. “I feel like we’re going to do some good things this year.