Tyler Thompson, RS Soph., OLB 6-foot-4, 225 pounds

Tyler Thompson’s time as an understudy at North Carolina has been fruitful, as it showed at times when he and Jaybron Harvey split reps early last fall at the hybrid jack position when Kaimon Rucker was out with a knee injury.

Then-defensive coordinator Geoff Collins praised Thompson for being ready for his first start in a win over Charlotte, saying “the moment wasn’t too big” for him.

Long and lean when he arrived, Thompson has filled out big time. He’s big and strong enough and quick off the snap he can play on the edge with a hand on the ground.

“What I do as a play caller, when Tyler’s in the game, there might be certain things I’ll go to a little bit more than if Jaybron’s in the game,” Collins also said.

Collins didn’t want to give away any secrets about either since it could indicate to opposing offenses what call the Heels were in, but former UNC Coach Mack Brown and former defensive coordinator Gene Chizik both spoke about how rangy Thomson is, that he is laterally quick and fast, and that he closes well on the ball.

Now, in his third season at UNC and a new coaching staff on hand, Thompson’s name trickles out every once in a while, which says something given virtually no access to the football team has been granted to the media.

As we are doing all spring and summer, here is a dive into Thompson’s numbers:

2024 Stats:

*12 games, 148 snaps, 5 tackles, 3 missed tackles, 1 QB hit, 3 hurries, 5 STOPs (plays that result in failures by opposing offenses).

Career Stats:

*15 games, 169 snaps, 7 tackles, 3 missed tackles, 1 TFL, 1 fumble recovery, 1 QB hit, 2 hurries, and 6 STOPs.

2025 Outlook:

Thompson will also play for his third defensive coordinator in three years. So, he has learned a lot from different schemes and teaching methods. He has a nice upside and some traits that cannot be taught, but can he get on the field with any consistency? That’s the question.