Eyes on the prize: Bryce Thompson is working so his mom won't have to

Frustrated and determined, beads of sweat poured down the face of Tennessee freshman corner Bryce Thompson in the early morning hours following the Vols' season-opening loss to West Virginia.

Competing in his first collegiate game, the former Rivals 4-star prospect had shown flashes, but the Irmo (S.C) native had also given up some big pass plays. Did it mean the difference between winning and losing? Nope, but that has never mattered to Thompson. He expects his play to help, not hinder the team. Anything in the form of the latter drives him.

"All that was going through my mind was David Sills and Will Grier," Thompson said. "I just didn't like the fact that I got embarrassed on national TV. I couldn't let that slide. It drove me the whole way back to Knoxville. I kept thinking, 'I have to get better. I have to get better.'"

Thompson's trademark competitiveness has defined him since he played board games and participated in coloring competitions when he was a child. As a prep standout, Thompson lost all of four games during his high school career. Losing simply eats at Thompson, and when it happens, it drives him just like it has dating back to his days playing flag football.

"I knew he would excel because he doesn't accept losing," Thompson's mother Tiffany said.

"I remember after the West Virginia game he was down because he never really lost much in high school. He was in the gym at midnight that night, and I knew after that he was going to come on because I knew where his mind was. He is the same kid that he was in high school and middle school dating back to flag football. He felt like he let down the team. His head is always in the game and his mindset was going to be the same."

In Tennessee's loss to WVU, Grier threw for 429 yards and Sills tallied 140 yards and two touchdowns against Thompson and UT's secondary. Sills' 38-yard catch against Thompson played over and over in the corner's mind as he turned into a grinder in the Anderson Training Center that next day. Thompson knows he won't always be perfect, but it's more about how you bounce back from adversity.

Thompson knows this as well as anyone — both on and off the field — and that's how he ended up at Tennessee.

Thompson won multiple state titles in high school. One at Ben Lippen as a junior and then another during his senior year back at Dutch Fork. A key mistake in a region championship game vs. Spring Valley nearly cost Dutch Fork a trip to the finals as a senior. Thompson had a turnover, only to get the ball back with a heroic defensive play.

"I've always said that Bryce is the most determined player that I've had," Dutch Fork head coach Tom Knotts said.

"When he made that mistake, he was mad on the sideline and I said put him back in the game and he was at corner and they rant a little hitch and he created a fumble and we picked it up and that turned the game around. He was so determined in critical situations that it amazed me."

That game turned into a state championship run for Dutch Fork, as it found its way into the title game against Dorman. Trailing by one with under a minute to play, Dorman went for two and the win. Why? Bryce Thompson.

"After the game, their head coach told me they weren't going to play for a tie and go to overtime because they knew they wouldn't stop Bryce Thompson," Knotts explained.

"That we would run one or two or three counter plays to win the game. He was just that kind of player. You just can't put a value on what he brought. He was able to impact both sides of the ball."

Little did Thompson know, but a storybook ending was set in motion in that same state championship game just three years earlier as a freshman at Dutch Fork before transferring the first time. Just another shining example of why Thompson detests losing far more than he enjoys winning.

"Nobody in my family is really competitive, but I just don't like losing," Thompson said. "I've always wanted to be the best at everything. I remember the losses far more than the wins. In the state championship as a freshman, we had an injury and I had to come in at quarterback. I remember it like yesterday because I hated that feeling. I said I'm never gonna lose state again and I won three after that."

Thompson was an 'overly athletic' baby who was put in gymnastics at 18 months old. He's always had a ball in his hands and has never been afraid to attack competition.

"He was three years old and my dad was a coach, so I was able to slide him on to teams when he was two years two young," Tiffany said. "He was always the youngest because my dad used to coach at the recreation center. He would take a beating and keep popping back up.

"When he was little we would be playing Candy Land and I'm not going to just let him win. He used to get so upset when he didn't win. He doesn't like to lose. It can be a coloring contest with his sister and he wants to win. That's just him. He wants to be the best."

People close to Thompson want to associate him just with athletics. But he is the same kid who will help his sister finish her projects in an effort to make her look as good as possible. His attention to details off the field help him with his craft on the field.

Knotts watched Thompson from an early age and was quick to point out that he has always been head and shoulders above everyone he was playing against talent wise. Thompson hung on every word as a 7th grader when Knotts told both he and his mother that he had a very bright future.

"He told me that Bryce was going to play on Sunday if he takes care of the little things," Tiffany said.

"That was in middle school. He has been consistent with Bryce and he is really hard on him in a good way. We run into a lot of coaches that would let him get away with things because Bryce was always so athletic and good. But not coach Knotts. Bryce could score seven touchdowns and coach Knotts wasn't impressed. He always told me that Bryce had something because he was determined not to lose."

Just three months prior to that post-Mountaineer loss sweat session in early September, Thompson was trying to finish up high school with no football home finalized. He committed to his hometown South Carolina Gamecocks in December of 2017, but was unable to sign due to academics.

"For him, he didn't understand why they didn't trust him to make the grades," Tiffany said.

"I remember we talked with coach Muschamp and South Carolina and they simply couldn't afford to waste a scholarship and they wanted the third quarter grades. The roster was starting to fill up and coach Muschamp just didn't want to take the chance on losing a scholarship if Bryce didn't do it.

"All of that was on Bryce because up until that point he was lax with school. His grades weren't what they were supposed to be."

Last summer, the days were slow and the uncertainty very much unsettling for Thompson and his family. After being unable to sign with the rest of his 2018 peers, Thompson visited Tennessee in February of last year. He found a fresh start, but also some familiarity on Rocky Top.

"He knew (assistant strength) coach Shaq Wilson and knew coach (Chris) Rumph had a South Carolina connection," Tiffany said.

"We didn't know anything about Tennessee other than the legacy of Tennessee. We didn't know anyone up there really and didn't know about Knoxville. When we went up they welcomed us. Coach Pruitt told us that he knew Bryce had work to do, but he did well on the SAT's and so he knew Bryce was capable. They were willing to take the chance because they saw him as an asset."

That initial trip was followed up by a visit to Tennessee's spring game, and from there Thompson felt like he'd found a home. All that was left was to finish up his schoolwork.

"I knew as soon as I talked to Pruitt and how into the game he was," Thompson said. "He wanted to coach me and I wanted to play for him. The spring game was so impressive because they had so many fans and that impressed me a lot, but I wanted to be at Tennessee because they wanted me."

Much like the drive from Columbia to Knoxville, Thompson's road to Rocky Top was just as long and winding.

Needing to finish high school with a 2.3 grade point average, Thompson rallied in his final semester and closed things out by avoiding a potential 'loss,' finishing with a 2.5 GPA.

After receiving his final grades, Thompson was officially eligible to enroll at Tennessee for summer classes. Thompson made it, but he learned a valuable lesson about priorities and work along the way. He's taken that new approach to heart at Tennessee, too.

"I learned that the only person that can stop me from doing something is myself," Thompson said. "I just have to keep my head on to keep playing the sport I love."

Thompson hit the ground running when he arrived at Tennessee. He thrived in summer workouts and he took to his new teammates early, especially the other freshmen in the 2018 class. During their weekly 7-on-7 practices, he also quickly earned one key veteran's respect with his play and competitiveness.

"One of my first 7-on-7 practices and I'm going against Marquez Callaway," Thompson said. "Jauan (Jennings) started barking at me and then I started going back at him. It got intense but in a good way and I ended up earning his respect after I was able to defend three passes against Callaway. Ever since then, we have been close because we are the same person when it comes to competitiveness. We build off each other and fuel each others fire."

Thompson's strong summer garnered the attention of Tennessee's staff, too. Despite arriving later than any of the 2018 signees, Thompson played in all 12 games last season, including making 10 starts.

The following week after West Virginia, Thompson made his first memorable play in Orange & White, snagged his first-career interception and nearly returning it for a touchdown.

Thompson wrapped up his first season with 34 total tackles, 4.0 TFLs and one forced fumble. He led Tennessee with three interceptions, with those three plays ranking him tied for third in the SEC and first among freshmen. Thompson's 10 passes defended ranked tied for ninth in the conference, first among newcomers.

Thompson credits head coach Jeremy Pruitt and secondary coach Terry Fair for his growth at corner in a short amount of time.

Overall, his impressive play earned Thompson Freshman All-American honors, but much like coach Knotts during his time at Dutch Fork, Pruitt pushes Thompson and won't let him rest on his small samples of success.

"I think he's an instinctive player," Pruitt said. "I think he's learning a new position and he would be the first to tell you that he has a long way to go to reach his potential."

As for Thompson, nobody is driven more to reach that potential than him. Why?

"I want my mom just living her life and not having to worry about working," Thompson said. "I want to pay off everything I can and pay her back all the things she helped me with my entire life. I know every time I go to film or go to work out it's straight business because I don't want her to have to work again."

And to make sure she won’t have to, Bryce Thompson does.