Pitt FB Recruiting
New Pitt LB Keye Thompson Wants to Make a Difference
Pitt was one of the first schools to reach out to Keye Thompson when he entered the transfer portal last month, and the Panthers were the first school to officially extend him an offer.
Ryan Manalac led the charge initially. Manalac and Thompson talked for a bit, planned a visit for early January and it finally came to fruition on Jan. 3.
Thompson — a 6-foot-1, 240-pound linebacker from Ohio — shut down his recruiting process on Jan. 4 and decided to commit his final season of eligibility to the Pitt Panthers. And after back-to-back All-MAC seasons at Ohio, he isn’t coming in to provide depth.
“I’m looking to come in and start,” Thompson told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “I’m not really coming into this program to be a depth guy. I’m coming in to start, be All-ACC and hopefully be Defensive Player of the Year in the ACC.”
Thompson has high expectations for himself, but it’s those expectations that fuel his drive. He wants to be an NFL player, and it was Pittsburgh that gave him the best chance to do so.
Pittsburgh was the perfect storm of convenience and opportunity — while offering him a defensive scheme that suits his style of play.
“It’s right up the road from where I live, about two hours away, so family and friends and people I know can travel and come and see me play easily,” Thompson said. “It just felt very good being around the NFL type of scenario, they share facilities with the Steelers, so the NFL atmosphere is something I wanna be looking forward to next year and pursuing an NFL career.
“The coaching staff, coach Narduzzi being the head coach and a defensive-minded guy was also an advantage and something I’m looking forward to.”
38 Baby pic.twitter.com/aMFXGmFvBu
— Keye Thompson (@keye_38) December 22, 2023
Thompson was able to get his first in-depth look at Pitt (since his appearance against the Panthers as a redshirt freshman in 2019 doesn’t count) during his official visit, and it was the visit that laid the foundation for his commitment.
He spent a lot of time with Manalac and Randy Bates during the visit, along with Pat Narduzzi, and it was those bonds that stuck out. As did the film session with Manalac, seeing what Manalac liked about his tape and the areas he still has to grow at the college level. He talked football with Narduzzi and Bates, and there are a couple of fits in the defense.
“I’m gonna learn the Mike position, but I also could learn the Money position, so they’re gonna kind of see what best fits me once they see me on the field to plug me in at either of those positions,” Thompson said.
Thompson was a first-team All-MAC linebacker in 2023, coming off a season in which he racked up 94 tackles (42 solo), 10 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, three pass breakups and a forced fumble with three recoveries in 13 starts.
According to PFF, he racked up 17 pressures, 12 hurries and three quarterback hits as a pass rusher, and he recorded a team-high 40 run stops.
Thompson originally committed to Ohio as a two-star recruit in the class of 2018, and as he battled injuries early in his career, it took time to truly break out. He redshirted as a freshman in 2018, played all 13 games in 2019 and played in just two games in 2020 before missing the entire 2021 season. But he earned All-MAC honors in each of the last two seasons.
He’ll arrive next week, and from there, it will be about growing with his new teammates and integrating himself into the defensive scheme before spring ball begins in two months.
“I’m a guy that’s gonna come in, bring a lot of energy and we’re gonna be flying around,” Thompson said. “I’m gonna try to take leadership on the defensive side and try to make an impact and lead Pitt to an ACC championship.”
Pitt has lost a handful of linebacker starters from last season, including Shayne Simon and Bangally Kamara, and there’s a void at Mike linebacker in particular.
Brandon George decided to return to Pitt after initially entering the transfer portal himself, but there was still a major need for a veteran Mike linebacker like Thompson. He fits exactly what Pitt needs in the linebacking corps. And clearly, he will have the opportunity to earn a starting spot at Mike or Money.
Jordan Bass, Braylan Lovelace, Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles all saw the field last season, with Bass and Louis even earning a start in 2023, and all four of them should compete for snaps in 2024. The youth at Star and Money is intriguing next season and beyond, but all four are better suited outside — at least for now.
Thompson appears to have the fast track to nailing down the starting Mike spot next season, but his integration into the system will be a storyline to follow in the spring.
