Marshall transfer Thompson is where he always wanted to be: Purdue
When it came to recruiting Broc Thompson to Purdue out of the portal this offseason, it was an easy sell for Purdue co-offensive coordinator/receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard, who jumped into action when he heard Thompson had left Marshall.
“Literally, I call him, and pretty much this was where he wanted to be,” said Shephard. “He was hoping that I was gonna make that phone call to him. And once I made it, he pretty much told me: 'I'm coming. If you got a spot, Coach, I'm coming.' I'm like: 'Yeah, we got a spot for you, buddy.' ”
Thompson was looking for a school closer to his Indianapolis home, so he could be near a younger brother who had been diagnosed with cancer.
"Coming home means everything to me," said Thompson. "Being able to be closer to my brother and family means a lot. My sister and brother-in-law both are Purdue graduates. Playing in my backyard is a dream."
So far, so good for Thompson, who is a junior.
He has been one of the surprises of Purdue’s camp, where he likes to go head-to-head as often as he can vs. the Boilermakers’ top cornerback: Cory Trice.
Thompson began turning heads the moment he arrived and started working out informally with teammates early this summer. And one new teammate—David Bell—knew Thompson very well.
The two grew up together and were rivals in high school, with Bell at Warren Central and Thompson at Ben Davis.
“It means a lot (to have him on the roster),” said Bell. “I knew Broc growing up. Just to see him here. We worked out a few times, played against each other 7-on-7. So, I personally knew what he was capable of. After he got done talking to our coaching staff, he called me directly and told me he was going to Purdue. I was excited, really excited, because I know what he can bring to the table. Now, he's understanding the playbook extremely well. That’s really the first thing you have to do because he has the ability to make plays and he's actually been helping all of us get better.”
Added Shephard: “They just kind of knew right away that this was kind of where he wanted to be, he wanted to play with David, them two competing against each other in high school, it's been great.”
The 6-2, 188-pound Thompson did quite a bit at Marshall. He caught 33 passes for 562 yards in two seasons with the Thundering Herd after he spent 2017 at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy before landing at Marshall. Thompson also ran back punts at Marshall, a role he has worked at in camp with Purdue.
Thompson caught 14 passes for 288 yards in 2020, while nabbing 19 for 334 yards in 2019. He suffered a stress fracture in his right shin that limited him last season, as he played in just four of the Thundering Herd's 10 games. Despite the success in Huntington, W.Va., Thompson, who will have three years of eligibility, was a bit surprised when Purdue came calling.
"I didn't really expect for Purdue to even be in the picture," said Thompson. "My aim was to be closer to home because my brother beat cancer, but I was really just looking for a home. I definitely had no clue, and it was just like, you know, I'm fine with the transfer. I felt like Purdue was the best fit for me.”
Thompson figures to play an outside receiver spot for Purdue, looking to crack a wideout lineup that includes the likes of junior Milton Wright, super senior Jackson Anthrop and rising sophomores Mershawn Rice and T.J. Sheffield in addition to Bell. And there is a raft of promising redshirt freshmen: Collin Sullivan Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen and Marcellus Moore.
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“It's crazy for me to say this, but Broc has turned into a leader within my group right away,” said Shephard. “He is a dog. I mean, that kid is a dog. His mentality, how he attacks every day, and he's that verbal dog. He's going to tell you, and he's going to talk to other guys in the room. And for whatever reason, they listen.”
And Thompson has learned from his teammates, too.
“I've learned a lot about coverages,” said Thompson, who marvels at how young his unit is. “That's why I brought up how poised our receiver group was.”
The wideouts were schooling Thompson on various looks defenses can give. He was impressed.
“You're younger than me,” he said. “I'm 21-years old. I never even picked up on that ... That's when I knew, like, that's when it really made me believe like, OK, we can really do something special. They really know it.”
Thompson comes from great athletic bloodlines. His father, Ryan, played nine years in Major League Baseball as an outfielder with the Mets, Indians, Astros, Yankees, Marlins and Brewers from 1992-2002. His older brother, Trevor, was a 7-0 center who played at Virginia Tech and Ohio State from 2013-17 and currently plays overseas.
Now, Broc Thompson wants to add to the family legacy. And he is willing to do anything he can to help the Purdue program get back to a bowl for the first time since 2018.
“Whatever the role they ask,” said Thompson. “I'm not really big on asking those type of questions so early in camp. Like I told Coach (Jeff) Brohm and Coach Shep and the whole team and the receiving corps, I'm just here to do my part. Whatever they need me to do, special teams, anything, I just want to win."
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