UNH adds to defense

By rbrown
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Updated: January 17, 2018

Derek Thompson said as soon as he stepped on the University of New Hampshire campus earlier this week he felt at home, and that’s what prompted him to give a verbal commitment to UNH on Monday.

‘That’s when I decided that this is where I want to be,” said Thompson, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound running back/defensive back from Appoquinimink High School in West Middletown, Del. “I like the players. I like the coaches. I like the family atmosphere that they bring.”

Since UNH landed running back Dylan Laube during the early-signing period, Thompson said he’s expected to play defensive back for the Wildcats.

“They offered me as an athlete,” Thompson explained. “I feel like I’m good on both sides of the ball. Wherever the coach puts me is fine with me.”

In addition to UNH, Thompson had offers from Army, Albany and Bryant. He also runs track at Appoquinimink, and is part of the 4×100 relay team that set the school record in that event when he was a sophomore. He said his best time in the 40-yard dash is 4.43.

Thompson can make his commitment binding by signing a national letter of intent on Feb. 7.

UNH landed seven players during the early signing period last month: linebacker/running back Zachary Banks (Westminster, Mass./Salisbury School), quarterback Bret Edwards (Lowell, Mass./Central Catholic), linebacker/running back Jacob “JJ” Jerome (Monroe, Wash./St. Thomas More), offensive/defensive lineman Niko Kvietkus (Southington, Conn./Deerfield Academy), Laube (Westhampton, N.Y./Westhampton Beach), offensive/defensive lineman Osho Omoyeni (Lowell, Mass./Central Catholic) and offensive/defensive lineman David Perry Jr. (Springfield, Va./West Springfield).

“I’m a hard worker and I’m really competitive,” Thompson said. “When I’m on the field I feel like I’m the best player on the field.”