By Mick McGrane, GoAztecs.com Senior Writer
(@MickOnTheMesa)
He was skinny, wide-eyed and wary, your typical high school freshman eager to prove his worth and mindful of the hits he'd endure in the process.
But if Tariq Thompson bore the appearance of a fidgety, fresh-faced newbie, there was nary a trace of trepidation, a characteristic coveted by coaches at St. Augustine High, one of San Diego County's premiere prep programs.
Richard Sanchez, who from 2009-17 would guide the Saints to a pair of CIF-San Diego Section championships, as well as three runner-up titles and five Eastern League crowns, was in his fifth season as head coach at St. Augustine. As with many high school powerhouses, freshmen rarely see the field, their existence largely limited to showing up and shutting up.
As it happened, however, Tariq Thompson's freshman season coincided with an overall dearth of talent in the secondary, a concern compounded by a rash of injuries.
Enter the skinny kid.
"I knew he was talented, but he wasn't quite ready," said Sanchez, now in his second season at SDSU as coach of the team's safeties, while also serving as a special teams assistant. "But due to the injuries we had and, really, the lack of talent we had during his freshman year, we accelerated him into a starting role at safety and at corner.
"He started off kind of slow, mostly because he was a freshman and was playing against some pretty talented kids in the league we played in. But, obviously, he turned into a heck of a player as a true freshman, and we didn't start many freshmen, usually one a year. We played a lot of (man-to-man) coverage, so we didn't make it too complicated for him, but it still put a lot of pressure on a young guy, particularly at the safety spot.
"He saw a lot of different looks (from opposing offenses), but he's an intelligent young man. He also had (former St. Augustine and Stanford safety) Frank Buncom IV helping him a lot. He was really a role model for Tariq, whether Tariq wants to admit it or not. And when Frank graduated, Tariq took the reins on defense, particularly (in the secondary)."
Seven years after submitting evidence that not all freshmen need wait their turn, Thompson, now a junior, has the reins again, this time for an Aztec secondary fast proving itself one of the team's strong suits.
And as a safety, he also finds himself again answering to Sanchez, a reunion that has sparked some good-natured ribbing among teammates who have been known to refer to Thompson as Sanchez's "son."
"I'm not quite sure he was totally accepting of seeing me again, of coming back and coaching him hard, but he does have a comfort level of knowing what my expectations are and how I coach," Sanchez said. "He knows my personality and knows whether he's (angering) me or not. He definitely knows what buttons not to push.
"I think he probably found out I'd been hired (at SDSU) just like everybody else did, because nobody really knew what was going on. I've never really asked him exactly what his response was, but I have a feeling it was probably something not fit to print. The players make fun of us at times, but I treat him just as tough if not tougher than I do everybody else. I think it's all worked out pretty well."
It's worked out phenomenally well for the Aztecs, who, in Thompson, boast one of the nation's premiere defenders. Tabbed a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and USA Today, Thompson has started every game (28) since arriving in 2017. He entered the current season ranked third among active FBS leaders in interceptions per game (0.27) and sealed SDSU's season-opening 6-0 win against Weber State, breaking up a fourth-down pass on the Wildcats' final drive after notching his eighth career pick on the preceding series.
Where Thompson is concerned, exceeding expectations has become the routine. In addition to finishing his first season tied for the FBS lead among true freshmen with five interceptions, he ranked fifth on the team in total tackles (63). He also had three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
While intercepting a pair of passes during his sophomore season last year, Thompson also finished third on the team in total tackles (60), trailing only Kyahva Tezino and fellow safety Parker Baldwin. He also contributed five tackles for loss.
"Tariq is probably going to be one of the greatest DBs to ever come out of San Diego State, and one of the greats to ever start at such a young age," said Tezino, the team's standout senior linebacker. "I just can't wait to see what he does the rest of the season, because, obviously, everyone saw what he can do in our first two games. He's the leader of that DB group. All of those guys want to get better and they're obviously following his lead. He's like my little brother out there, and I'm really proud of him.
"I mean, to start in this defense as a freshman, you have to be a smart guy, which tells you a lot of what you need to know about Tariq. This is not an easy defense to learn. It took me about two or three years to actually learn what I needed to know. Tariq is a unique kind of guy. He came in and learned (the defense) quickly during camp. He got his opportunity, and the first game he started he got an interception. That just shows you how high his football IQ is. It's really all about his play recognition; you can tell how much he watches film. A lot of times, he knows exactly what's coming out there. He's a great guy on and off the field, and I just think the sky is the limit for him."
As does Sanchez, who was so impressed with Thompson's athleticism that he also utilized him on offense at St. Augustine. Over his final three seasons, Thompson had 85 catches for 1,167 yards and 15 touchdowns.
"He has a lot of potential left in him," Sanchez said. "And we need to get to that level of potential with all of our guys (in the secondary). You're always coaching guys to try to get them on the same intelligence level, to get them all anticipating the same way. But it's genuine with Tariq, whether it's instinct, whether it's self taught or done through breaking down film. I let him speak out a lot during our (defensive back) meetings, because people are going to respond differently when they hear his voice on the field than they are to mine. And right now, I think guys are starting to get on the same page and catching up to where his intelligence level is.
"If you watch him, there's never a lot of wasted movement with his feet, because he anticipates so well. Now, you can get in trouble anticipating, at times, but more often than not he's right. Consequently, he's usually in the right position at the right time. As time has gone along, he's started understanding what it takes at the college level, things like reading the quarterback's progressions, and he reads patterns a lot better than most. As a freshman (at SDSU), he found himself in a position where he battled for a starting job and showed that he can make plays, and that's the bottom line for any defensive back. You can have really good looking guys out there, but if they don't make a play on the ball, if they don't break up passes or intercept the ball, they're not going to see the field."
Conversely, opposing quarterbacks won't soon see the end of Thompson, who in his first career start needed all of 49 seconds to intercept a pass in the Aztecs' win over UC Davis.
"I remember the last week of camp during my freshman year and Coach Gonzales (former Aztec defensive assistant Danny) telling me, "OK, you're going with the (starters)," Thompson said. "I was like, 'Wow.' Everything was happening so fast. I mean, two months earlier, I was just this newbie on campus. I never thought I'd be (starting). That first snap (against UC Davis), I was really nervous. I was like, 'Man, I've never felt anything like this.' Then, on the first drive, I got a pick, and it was just like this blessing. After I caught it, I thought, 'OK, this is the type of player I can be.'
"I think it's coaching to some extent, but a lot of it is about the player. Coming in here, I had to adjust physically a little bit, and that takes time, but I always believed that I was ready to play in that first game. I've never been intimidated. My parents (his father, Tracy, played safety at SDSU from 1982-85) raised me to never be afraid of anything and to believe in myself. If I was going to do something, they wanted me to just go out and do it. That's always been the message.
"But from the time I was in high school until now, everything has gone by so fast. This defense has been so much fun to play in, because it gives me so much freedom to roam and make plays. I'd never been put in a position before where I could blitz, so it's been a great opportunity for me to show my talent and learn everything I can. I never envisioned myself having success like this. You see the NFL (websites) and you see your name out there, but I'm not ready for that yet. I just have to focus on right now, and that means helping us win."
McGrane: Tariq Thompson Wastes No Time Coming of Age
