Why Tennessee football coaches told Lipscomb LB Kris Thompson they waited before giving him offer

A Lipscomb Academy reunion in Knoxville?

That could become a reality if Mustangs linebacker Kris Thompson decides the lure of Tennessee football is too strong to pass up.

Thompson received the news he'd been anxiously waiting for when Tennessee, and coach Josh Heupel, offered the three-star 6-foot-1, 225-pound junior earlier this month. The clock now begins for him to make a decision that could land him on the same team with Vols signees Kaleb Beasley and Edwin Spillman in the fall of 2025.

"UT coaches, came to see me work, move around and after that, they told me they wanted to me come to junior day (Feb. 3)," said Thompson, who also holds offers from from Ole Miss, Florida, Michigan, Louisville, Oklahoma State, UAB and Colorado among others. "I went straight to their office and they told me I was always on their recruiting board, but they just wanted to come see me."

It was a sigh of relief for Thompson, who had been hoping for an offer from Heupel. He'd watched as Vols coaches came to Lipscomb Academy to recruit players like Beasley, Spillman and offensive lineman Chauncey Gooden and defensive back CJ Jimcoily.

"What's funny is we had talked about it and he was so disappointed that he hadn't had a Tennessee offer at first," new Lipscomb Academy coach Jamie Graham said. "They came up to the school before and would talk to other guys. It wasn't a jealousy thing (for Kris). I grew up watching Florida State as a kid and if they came to my school and didn't offer me, I'd be upset too."

The months prior to his offer, Thompson tried to not overthink it. He knew he'd have time to state his case.

"UT is one of my favorites," he said. "I know that, for myself, when people see me play, it’s a no-brainer. They got to get me. I figured the offer was coming, but I just kept praying and left it in God’s hands and on HIs time."

Spillman and Beasley signed with Tennessee during the December signing period, and Beasley has publicly pushed for Tennessee to offer Thompson. Now that the Vols have, Beasley and Spillman has been pushing for Thompson to commit to UT.

"They're trying to persuade me to do it ASAP," Thompson said. "Right now, it's hard to say no to them, but I still want to explore and see what all of my options are. But I can tell you, UT is pretty high up there."

Thompson has also heard from recent UT commit and Brentwood Academy quarterback George MacIntyre. The state's No. 1 football prospect from the 2025 class, and nation's No. 3 QB, has made it a mission to actively recruit some of the state's top undecided players, particularly those around the Nashville area.

"I’ve heard from George," Thompson said. "We’re all in Nashville and I’m connected to them. But George was just like 'You know the move. You know where home is at and there's no place like playing at Neyland (Stadium)'."

Thompson had 84 tackles in 10 games last fall with 3.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown. He'll return this fall as one of the state's top linebackers and the motivation Graham needs to push this team past a 4-6 record in 2023.

"We're big on player accountability," Graham said. "This offer gives Kris a different kind of confidence. Now he'll be able to speak up the way Edwin spoke up. This is what I needed to kind of push Kris a little further."

Thompson said he'll travel to Missouri March 9 for a visit but no other visits have been planned after that. Lipscomb Academy's spring football practices will be in early May when Thompson said he plans to narrow his list to about five or six schools. He's looking at late summer before making an official commitment announcement.

"Definitely before the start of the season," he said.

Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.