Is 4-Star Texas football WR Brenen Thompson the steal of the 2022 class?

As the rest of the signees in the 2022 Texas football recruiting class get set to make their way to campus in the next few weeks ahead of the summer semester and summer workouts, a good portion of the blue-chip commits in the mix will be joining the program. Both of the five-star commits in the 2022 recruiting class are summer enrollees, as are some of the highest-rated blue chips in the mix.

One particular signee in the Longhorns 2022 class that has garnered a lot of attention as of late, though, that is a summer enrollee is the insanely speedy four-star Spearman (TX) wide receiver Brenen Thompson. Not only is Thompson the highest-rated skill-position commit in the Longhorns 2022 class, but he’s also the lone blue-chip wide receiver in this group.

Thompson is an incredibly important piece of the Longhorns 2022 class, which became even more evident in the last few months since National Signing Day. As Texas saw roster attrition take hold in the receiving corps in the last few months, the importance of having as much depth and talent here as possible came to the forefront.

Second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and new wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Brennan Marion did a nice job so far this offseason in bringing aboard more wideout depth by way of the NCAA Transfer Portal and the recruiting trail.

Thompson is a big part of the wide receiver additions for the Longhorns so far this offseason. He will be one of the impact additions to this receiver room along with transfers such as the former Wyoming Cowboys breakout freshman Isaiah Neyor and Alabama Crimson Tide touted freshman Agiye Hall.

But what Thompson brings to the table for Sark, Marion, and the Longhorns will be much different than what this receiving corps gets out of Neyor and/or Hall.

Thompson is faster than the Longhorns’ other wideout additions in the 2022 signing class. He’s also capable of having more of a long-term impact on this offense than either Neyor or Hall (granted, that depends on how Agiye turns out at Texas).

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What Texas is getting out of the 5-foot-10 and 165-pound in-state wideout Thompson is potentially the faster player at this position of any 2022 recruit in the country. Thompson just got done with a record-setting 10.24-second 100-meter dash time in the 3A UIL state track finals.

Thompson is also a versatile big-play threat that can make plays on offense or special teams. He returned kicks and punts during his time playing for Spearman High School. And it might be wise for Sark and special teams coordinator Jeff Banks to utilize the insane speed and elusiveness that Thompson could bring to the return unit.

Texas football WR signee Brenen Thompson was criminally underrated by most recruiting services

Beyond just his speed and versatility, Thompson has good hands, is a crisp route runner, and is better than most other wideouts with his frame in bringing down contested balls. In those respects, Thompson is better than most wideouts you would see with his frame and speed.

So, if Thompson is a well-rounded wide receiver that is one of the most explosive big-play threats along with being what looks to be the fastest wideout in this class, why was he rated as a four-star?

It’s worth noting that in the 247Sports Composite Ranking, Thompson was slotted as the nation’s No. 20 wide receiver prospect.

That was pretty low from what I was able to analyze comparing Thompson with the other top 20 2022 wideout recruits. But there are a few reasons for that.

Potentially the biggest factor in Thompson getting rated lower than the other top 20 2022 wideouts is the fact that he played 3A football in Texas. He played against a lower level of competition than almost every single other top 20 wideout for this cycle.

The jump in competition that Thompson is about to have this fall is going to be lofty. Recruiting ranking services (i.e. Rivals and 247Sports) will often put a handicup on the production and versatility of 3A recruits such as Thompson.

And another major reason why Thompson was likely rated outside of the top 10 or 15 2022 wide receivers recruits was his smaller frame. Of the top 20 2022 wideouts, only one is shorter than Thompson and none weigh less than him. The limited frame and strength for Thompson seemingly limited his recruiting ranking for the major services even more.

It could also be more difficult for Thompson to transition from 3A high school football to playing in the Power Five this fall considering he’s smaller than most other blue-chip wideout recruits.

Moreover, the final reason I could find as to why Thompson was rated lower than some of the slower and seemingly less versatile wideouts in the top 20 for this cycle is based off how his smaller frame could limit his role at the next level. There is often a notion that smaller wideouts will have a limited role and route tree they can run with some of the more explosive and complex offenses in the Power Five (such as Sark’s scheme).

It looks like, from the point of view of the recruiting ranking services, that Thompson will always be limited to some degree since he’s not even six-feet tall. Thus, he won’t be able to reach the ceiling of some of the other top wideout prospects in this class.

These three aforementioned reasons do make sense from the perspective of the major recruiting services as to why Thompson wasn’t rated as a five-star prospect and/or a top 10 wideout in the country for this cycle.

Yet, I personally believe that what Thompson has proved in the last year or so between his time starring for Spearman football and track is more than enough to be a five-star prospect and/or a top 10 wideout for this cycle.

There are two reasons for that.

The first reason why I believe that Thompson should be a five-star recruit is the fact that his track times prove that he’s the flat-out fastest blue-chip wideout for the 2022 cycle. His 10.24-second 100-meter dash time is faster than some of the other speedy 2022 blue chips such as five-star Evan Stewart and four-star Kobe Prentice.

With speed playing such a relevant role in modern offenses, the flat-out elite track speed that Thompson brings to the table should be earning him more respect in the recruiting rankings than it did in reality.

Secondly, it’s apparent that Thompson’s smaller frame played a role in his lower ranking than most other wideouts of his caliber. But there are five other wideouts that are within one inch of height of Thompson that are rated higher than him.

In fact, there are three wideouts ranked among the top 10 wideouts in the country for the 2022 cycle that are 5-foot-11 or shorter. Given the fact that there are other wideouts of Thompson’s height in the top 10 wideouts for 2022, his smaller frame shouldn’t be considered such a limiting factor to his overall composite ranking.

To make one final point here, I don’t believe that the transition for Thompson from 3A football to Power Five football with the Longhorns will be as challenging as some think. That’s largely due to the way that Sark will utilize Thompson in the offense in the next couple of years.

It’s also worth noting that Thompson has looked good in various camps and showcases before, indicating that this transition could be smoother for Thompson than most other skill-position 3A recruits.

Thompson is likely going to be getting the ball on screen plays, short routes, and deep balls. Sark is going to try and scheme Thompson to get open in space, where he can maximize his insane open-field speed and elusiveness.

For these reasons, I truly believe that Thompson is not only the steal of the Longhorns’ 2022 signing class among high school recruits, but he’s also one of the most underrated wideouts for this cycle. Thompson’s speed and insane versatility prove that he was underrated by most recruiting services and that he has a five-star skill set that ranks among the most potent of any at his position for this cycle.

Thompson is set to join one of the best wide receiver rooms in the entire country this year. This wideout room will feature a ton of potent talents this fall such as Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington, Hall, Neyor, Thompson, and Troy Omeire, among others.