Meet Brenen Thompson, the Small-Town Texas Kid With Speed to Burn

2022 ATH Brenen Thompson hails from tiny Spearman, TX, but he's got the tools to make the jump to FBS competition

In the public eye, the phrase "North Texas" conjures up images of the DFW metroplex.

But Spearman, population 3,368, is just about as north as Texas gets.

The town lies about twenty miles from the Oklahoma panhandle as the crow flies. It's geographically further north than Stillwater. It's situated closer to Kansas than it is to Amarillo.

It's also home to one of the hottest prospects in the class of 2022.

Brenen Thompson stands just 5-foot-10 and weighs in at 165 pounds. He's small in stature, and he plays small-town football. So why are the top collegiate programs in the nation flocking to a remote community in Hansford County to watch him play?

One look at the tape and the answer is immediately evident: Brenen Thompson is one of the fastest prep athletes in the nation. A dual-threat quarterback who moonlights as a track star, Thompson has been clocked at 10.32 seconds in the 100 meters.

He knows he's got the "it" factor, and he's not a fan of any stigma that comes associated with his small-town roots.

"Talent is talent, no matter if you’re from a 1A or a 6A," he maintains. "You’re going to get noticed wherever you are. The people that deserve to get noticed are going to get noticed. I can compete at a 6A, or a big SEC school, or a Big 12 school. I don’t think it matters where you come from."

It certainly doesn't matter to Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma coaching staff, who offered Thompson back on April 9. It was one of an astonishing nine Power 5 offers over the course of 72 hours for the four-star speed demon. 

Alabama, Auburn, and Michigan are among a gaggle of other blue-blood programs chasing Thompson. As for the interest from the Sooners, Thompson appreciates the fact that Riley and company haven't tried to pigeonhole him into a position that they want him to fill.

"They sound pretty open, as far as what I want to play, defense or offense," he says. "So that was something that definitely stuck out to me, being an athlete, that I could play one or the other depending on what I want."

Thompson's listed as an athlete, and as it pertains to his positional future, he's keeping an open mind. He's been a wizard at the helm of Spearman's offense over the last two seasons, and he admittedly thrills at the idea of bringing his skills to a collegiate offense.

"Definitely leaning towards the offensive side," he muses. "I haven’t really broken [scheme] down yet, but as time goes on, I’m sure that me and my family and my high school coaches will start breaking that down."

For now, Thompson relishes the attention that his prowess on the gridiron has brought to his hometown. He's thrilled to be the athletic pride of Spearman, and proud to be a beacon of hope for small-town Texas athletes.

"It’s definitely good, not just for me, but for the community and all the athletes up here, that if you work hard and put your mind to it, [FBS football] is definitely achievable," he remarks.

As he prepares to jump from the boondocks to the bright lights, Thompson's very much open to a future in the crimson and cream. Oklahoma's prestige and proximity to Spearman are two things of which he's very cognizant.

"With the Sooners being as close as they are, the program that they are, they’re definitely going to be [in my] top ten," says Thompson. "I’m definitely going to be trying to get them involved in this process for sure."

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