Utah dipped into the state of Texas and flipped LaTristan “Money” Thompson from his Louisiana Tech commitment in early December. The 6-foot corner corner from Mt. Pleasant, TX brings a great physicality and toughness to the position.

Thompson held six offers, including Utah, Louisiana Tech, and Texas State.

The talented corner found himself in rare company as a high school sophomore, who at that age was reportedly already benching 290, squatting 450 and running 10.7 100 meters. In Thompson, Utah believes they’ve found someone who follows the blueprint of incredibly talented east Texas football players. He’s the brother of KD Cannon who was an electrifying receiver at Baylor.

FILM REVIEW

Thing about highlight reels, it’s just that it’s all highlights. I did notice about LaTristan is placement to make plays. Either is very lucky or he watches a lot of film, and I’m thinking the latter. Great man coverage good feet underneath him and seems to be proud of his run support capabilities which are above average for a corner of his size and experience.

-Cal Beck, Utah CB/KR 1994-96

Thompson is the type of corner that you can leave on an island, and he will handle his own. His anticipation, reaction time, and pure drive to make a play are out of this world. You can tell he understands the game of football. He is physical at the line of scrimmage in press coverage, literally taking receivers off the field and into the sidelines. But he's not just a one-trick pony - he's not afraid to get in there and make a tackle in the run game, too.

-Kenneth Scott, Utah WR 2010-15

Aggressive player in the run and screen game. Good tackler. Once he sees it he attacks. Smart player. He’s a little handsy in coverage, I would love to see him stay in his pedal more and then play the ball instead of getting handsy with the receivers. Overall Utah will do a great job developing this young man because of his willingness to come down hill and strike. More of a squat corner in a shell defense.

-Francis Bernard, Utah LB 2018-19, Dallas Cowboys 2020-21, Pro Tech Trenches trainer

Thompson is an all-around cornerback. He’s fast, physical, and smart. He’s got great instincts, and plays with a certain toughness in every aspect of the game. Love his discipline at the line of scrimmage in press, and his physicality when he does put hands on a WR. Thompson is a great tackler that can hit you in the box like a linebacker, or out on the edge in a full sprint and then knife your legs right out from under you. Most of all, this guy plays with a certain energy and laser-like focus that you just can’t teach. Perfect fit for Utes defense.

-Brian Blechen, Utah S/LB 2010-14, Carolina Panthers 2015-17, Pro Tech Trenches trainer

WHAT THIS SIGNING MEANS

Utah has had a lot of success over the years finding under-recruited Texas high school talent, then watching them blossom almost immediately. Will the same thing eventually be said for Thompson? The likelihood is that 2024 will be a good season for him to sit back and develop. However, if he’s moldable at a decent pace, he has all of the tools at cornerback that Utah cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah covets.