Texas Edge Rusher Visiting Pitt Next Week

On March 13, Cullen Thompson will be visiting the Pitt Panthers.

He’s a 6-foot-4, 215-pound edge rusher out of Spring (Tx.) Grand Oaks, carrying Power Four offers from Baylor, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Pitt, and others.

When Thompson added the Panthers to his list, it created a memorable moment.

“...(My coach) told me that they were going to offer me. The next day, I got on the phone with the DC, Coach Randy Bates…At the time, I had an offer from a small HBCU, and then all of a sudden, I had a really big ACC offer,” Thompson said.

Thompson was always equipped with unique athleticism. However, after playing some pee wee football, that God-given talent didn’t become obvious to the coaches around him until he began to shine in track.

“I joined a track team called Track Houston…I went and tried track and I made it all the way to the Junior Olympics. I came back to school and the coaches were like, ‘We didn’t see that speed from you (before)...’"

It wasn’t long before Thompson began to shine on the football field, too.

All the while, his twin sister was growing into a stellar volleyball player, ranked No. 2 in the class of 2026, according to the rising senior edge rusher.

They come from athletic stock as their mother played volleyball at Rice.

When ur an Edge & a Sprinter. 4.48 (laser) #SpeedKills

@GPowersScout @JButler_210 @MikeRoach247 @BDammone @RivalsJavi @JScruggs247 @ParkerThune @Marchen44 @Matt_Stepp817 @duneganjace @SunilSportsNews @DemetricDWarren @ChadSimmons_ @gabrieldbrooks @LeeAnnHerringRW @RivalsWoody pic.twitter.com/jNKCpY1gOL
— Cullen Scott Thompson 3⭐️📈 (@_Cullenthompson) January 27, 2025

With Pitt in pursuit, Thompson is impressed with Pitt’s defensive coordinator who has put in plenty of effort in recruiting the Texas product.

“They’re always texting me, keeping the relationship going,” Thompson said. “Coach Bates came down to Texas to visit me and my family…In a way, he brought Pittsburgh hospitality in a Southern hospitality way.”

On film, Thompson’s athleticism jumps off the screen.

On the first clip of his junior season highlights, as the running back breaks down the sideline on a lateral rush, the tall, long edge rusher sprints from the opposite hash roughly 45 yards to notch a touchdown-saving tackle at the 15-yard line.

On the following play, working out of a four-point stance, Thompson shows off his vertical, leaping high in the air and deflecting a pass that his teammate snags and takes in the opposite direction.

This is a naturally skilled edge rusher with excellent tools to develop at the next level.

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