Film Review: UCF Defensive End Commitment Keahnist Thompson

UCF football commitment Keahnist Thompson proves to be one of the most athletic, technical and versatile recruits from the state of Florida. Here’s a breakdown of Thompson’s film.

Brian Smith | Jun 30, 2021

Film Review: UCF Defensive End Commitment Keahnist Thompson /

When watching film of high school prospects, there are certainly recruits that need major adjustments and/or it will be a long learning curve to adjust to the college level. For UCF football commitment Keahnist Thompson, he possesses all the proper attributes to play right away for the Knights.

Athleticism, size, length, tenacity, and technique all help to define the Lakeland (Fla.) High School talent, and he’s still progressing.

The 6’4”, 240-pound defensive end could be the most versatile defensive lineman the state of Florida has to offer because of his combined skills. From all of Thompson’s integrated talents, perhaps the most important would be his ability to adapt.

From one play to the next, Thompson lines up at weak side defensive end, then it could be defensive tackle, or perhaps strong side defensive end.

Finding a senior high school football player that makes such adjustments and keeps his technique sound would be rare. With that tendency, Thompson proved he could be a force, regardless of where he lined up, as a mere sophomore in high school.

Some players show natural athletic skills when they are young, and there are talented players that take coaching as well. @keahnist with the slap-rip move to rid himself of the OT and go after the QB. 𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺... #ucftwittermafia #ChargeOn @LHSDreadnaughts pic.twitter.com/3fBPTDdk8U
— Inside The Knights (@UCF_FanNation) July 1, 2021

Plays such as the one above are why Alabama, Texas, Auburn, Tennessee, South Carolina, Miami, Florida, Texas A&M, Florida State, Nebraska, Southern Cal and Penn State all extended offers to this young man. In the end, it was still the UCF offer that mattered most to Thompson.

With a glimpse of Thompson’s talents, here are a few of the plays from his sophomore and junior seasons that place him in the conversation as one of the nation’s best defensive ends. These first three clips stem from Thompson’s sophomore season. Each one helps to represent the high ceiling for this young prospect.

Moving to Thompson’s junior season, he’s a little bigger and definitely more savvy. It became quite obvious, while watching his junior film, that Thompson really began to understand taking the best angles and knowing when to utilize different aspects of his talents at the right time.

Watch Thompson weave through traffic after catching a tight end screen. Beyond his obvious football instincts, Thompson showed his flexibility, physical toughness and speed.

The following play helps to explain why defensive coaches covet length much like Thompson possesses. Watch him rip through the offensive guard and force a bad throw because of his long outstretched arms.

The next play is an example of pure quickness. After a hand slap, watch Thompson close the gap towards the signal caller and make a sack. No wasted motion, quick off the snap of the football, and he races towards the quarterback. Excellent play by Thompson.

The final play shows he’s more than just a one-man wrecking crew. Thompson lines up at wide receiver and dominates the defensive back while blocking him. Many big-time recruits would go half speed during a play like this. Thompson is a team player.

Final Thoughts

Thompson should be classified as the rare do-it-all defensive lineman; he will move to different positions to make plays without looking out of place. He’s comfortable at either defensive end position, or moving to three technique (defensive tackle) and quickly bypassing his blocker en route to the quarterback.

Thompson is one of those players that will play early in college, and the UCF football program will be the beneficiary of Thompson’s vast talent.