Top St.Louis-area football prospect is set to commit this week. What are the Tiger's chances?
Updated: Nov 30, 2020
2022 four-star defensive back and bigtime St.Louis-area prospect Isaac Thompson is set to commit this week and he has plenty of big suitors that will be vying for his services. Of course, Mizzou is heavily in the mix here but what exactly are their chances and what impact would his commitment have on the program?
Thompson is a strong, athletic safety out of SLUH high school and a consensus top-five player in the state of Missouri for 2022. He is also ranked right outside of the top 150 nationally so he'd be a huge get for Missouri. Thompson released a top-ten schools list earlier this year and it includes Michigan, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, and Florida among others.. So, what are Missouri's chances?
Well, there's a good chance. Michigan appears to be the favorite, though. All eight of his current crystal ball picks are for Michigan but that doesn't necessarily mean they know for sure. Thompson only announced he would be committing after his Michigan visit and before his Missouri visit. He visited Mizzou this past weekend for the Vanderbilt game with his family. He wouldn't be taking a courtesy visit in the middle of November when he's already been to campus multiple times if he wasn't seriously considering Mizzou.
Peter Baugh of the Athletic reported that Isaac Thompson thoroughly enjoyed his visit stating, "The atmosphere was great". Thompson also said he talks with Eliah Drinkwitz daily and said, "I think he's doing really good with what he has right now".
Thompson's commitment would be a huge get for Eli Drinkwitz. It would give Missouri's 2022 class a good base as Thompson would be joining three-star Lee's Summit tight end Max Whisner and would only add to the narrative that Drinkwitz is a dynamite recruiter. A commitment would open up the path towards yet another top-30 recruiting class nationally for what will probably be a second straight year assuming they finish in the top-30 for 2021 as well. Mizzou can win with that. Missouri rarely ever has multiple commits for the next year's class this early. Thompson's commitment would also help in swaying other elite St.Louis-area prospects. All it takes is that first guy to jump on board to get the ball rolling. It would also show that Eli Drinkwitz is making strides in recruiting St.Louis. Thompson just isn't a player Missouri typically gets but he would be Drinkwitz's second St.Louis four-star recruit.
However, Thompson will reportedly be visiting Arkansas on Wednesday before making his announcement. That could mean a lot, or it could mean little. Either way, we're going to find out on December 4th and we know Missouri will be squarely in the mix. In spite of all of that, you should probably still consider Michigan the favorite just because the experts would indicate he's going there. Outside of that no one really knows.
Even if Thompson does choose Michigan, keep in mind he is still class of 2022 and a lot can change until signing day 2022. Michigan isn't doing too hot right now, what if Jim Harbaugh gets fired? Does Thompson stick around? What if Missouri wins the east next year and Thompson changes his mind? You never know what can happen. Missouri fans should keep an eye on this one until the very end.