NASSAU, Bahamas – In the latter part of his career at Huron High School, the scholarship offers simply were not coming in for University of Toledo senior receiver Cody Thompson.
Lightly recruited as a fairly successful high-school quarterback, Thompson had initial meetings with UT coach Jason Candle and Tom Manning, who were assistant coaches for the Rockets at the time, but nothing in the form of an offer.
WATCH: Cody Thompson talks about his career as a Rocket
That quickly changed when Thompson had a good showing at a Friday Night Lights Camp at Toledo, after which he was immediately offered a scholarship. That offer from Toledo was the lone scholarship on the table for Thompson.
“I don’t know, they just saw something in me,” Thompson said. “I had a really good camp that night. They just took a chance and they have a good eye for talent, that is for sure.”
Thompson remembers sitting in former UT coach Matt Campbell’s office with his father when he was offered the scholarship.
“I was trying to act kind of cool about it, but I was smiling from ear-to-ear,” Thompson said. “I had the ACT the next morning at like 6 a.m., and I was in his office at like 11:30 [p.m.] and had an hour and a half ride home. I didn’t even care. I was so excited I didn’t even sleep. It was just surreal. I knew something was coming, but when I got that opportunity it was hard to put into the words.”
When Candle reflects on what he and the Toledo staff saw in Thompson initially, he says it’s very similar to what he sees in him now as a senior.
“We just saw a guy that is in the front of the line and has a great willingness to compete and has a great competitive spirit to prove you wrong so to speak,” Candle said. “When guys play with a chip on their shoulder and guys play with an attitude that they are going to make the most of their opportunities and ultimately their potential, that is a scary combination.”
Thompson admits he might not have the same size and strength and quickness as other wide receivers, but his combination of self-belief and work ethic turned him into one of the most successful receivers in Toledo history.
His 30 career receiving touchdowns are the most in program history, and his 3,257 receiving yards rank second behind Eric Page (3,446). His 1,269 receiving yards as a junior in 2016 were the most in a season for Toledo, but that was broken by Diontae Johnson’s 1,278 yards last season.
Thompson will suit up one last time for Toledo against Florida International in Friday’s Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl. He hopes when his career comes to a close that he will be remembered as someone who teammates and coaches knew was always going to put in the work and preparation necessary to be a successful player.
“I just want to be known as someone who did things the right way and kept to their nose to the grindstone and just worked,” Thompson said. “That’s the biggest thing. I don’t think I’m the most talented receiver or the most athletically gifted or the strongest or fastest, but if you work hard you can have success in whatever you do.”
Thompson suffered a season-ending injury in 2017 in the fifth game of the season. There were questions about whether he would come back or pursue an NFL career, but he says he believes he made the right decision.
While the stats (43 catches for 592 yards and 10 TDs) this season don’t stand out as they have in years past, he says he is grateful to be back healthy and able to finish out his career with guys he came to Toledo with like Richard Olekanma, Jalen Reese, Yazeed Atariwa, and Ka’dar Hollman.
Thompson graduated last December with a degree in marketing, and is pursuing a master’s degree in recreation and leisure. He was recently named a Second-Team Academic All-American.
Thompson said whether athletically, academically, or socially, he feels like he got the most of his college experience at Toledo.
“They’ve provided me with so many opportunities to meet so many amazing people through football and outside of football,” Thompson said. “I wanted to use the university as much as I possibly could to impact as many people as I could along the way. It worked out perfectly, and I’m glad it was my only offer. They kind of chose me and it worked out great.”
The next step for Thompson could be the NFL. Just as he believed he could be a successful college player, Thompson has confidence that he is a professional-caliber football player.
“I feel like I can help an NFL team and be an immediate impact on offense and special teams,” Thompson said. “If I have to do the same thing I did here and start out on special teams and kind of give myself a role in the offense, that is something I’m willing to do.”
Candle said Thompson’s growth from an unheralded high school recruit to an all-time Toledo great is a journey that many people would not have the inner strength or mental toughness to accomplish.
Candle, for one, is grateful for the standard that Thompson set during his career.
“It’s a tremendous story, and it’s one that you sit back and you hope your young team and your young players are paying attention,” Candle said. “We live in such an instant-gratification society. There were not many offers for him coming out of high school, and some players never make it past that point. He solidified his one scholarship offer and sees it as an opportunity and not as a right. He understands that is a privilege and that he has a chance to work really hard and chase his dreams.
Some guys figure that part of it out, but they don’t know how to apply the work and just talk about the belief they have, but they don’t have the behavior to match it. Cody’s behavior always matches the belief, and I think that is why you have seen a fantastic career.”
First Published December 20, 2018, 7:42 p.m.
