With more than 20 offers on the table, four-star tight end Colin Thompson (Warminster, PA) had trimmed his list down to three and already informed the college of his choice that he would be attending their institution either in the summer or in the fall. On Thursday, Thompson made his decision official, announcing at Archbishop Wood Catholic High School that he has committed to play for the Florida Gators next season.
One of the top tight ends in the 2012 recruiting cycle, Thompson chose Florida over Wisconsin and Boston College, the other schools in his final three.
At 6’5” and 255 lbs., he is the big, physical tight end that offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was undoubtedly looking for. Thompson has good hands and can also successfully block on rushing and passing downs.
“They tell me they need me at the tight end position because they don’t have anyone like me on their roster, more of a pro-style tight end,” he told InsideTheGators.com on April 25. “I talked with Coach Weis and he pretty much reiterated the whole thing.”
Speaking with BadgerNation.com, which got the early exclusive on his commitment, Thompson said Weis’s potential influence on his career was a huge factor.
“If you are a Pennsylvania tight end, you are a big man and you want to play for Charlie Weis, that’s what you do,” he said. “I liked him the first day I met him. He’s the type of guy that even though he has four Super Bowl rings, he doesn’t talk about himself, he doesn’t bring out the rings and he makes the conversation about you.
“When we talked, he put his cell phone on silent and missed calls from Bill Belichick and Jimmy Clausen, and he wasn’t showing off about it at all. With Charlie, he’s a good guy and one thing that did appeal to me is Charlie’s son is a senior in high school and going to be a freshman at Florida next year. So, Charlie’s not going anywhere, which is going to be great to have him there for the next five years.”
Thompson, the Gators’ 10th commitment already for 2012, previously expressed to Rivals.com that he has grown close with Weis, tight ends coach Derek Lewis and head coach Will Muschamp. All three coaches spoke with him extensively when he visited the University of Florida from April 20-22.
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