Irish's Thompson commits to W.Va.

Central Catholic's Jayme Thompson (8) says he wanted to commit early so he could focus on his grades and senior year with the Irish. THE BLADE Enlarge | Photo Reprints

A day after many high school seniors signed letters of intent to confirm their previous verbal commitments to college football programs, Central Catholic junior Jayme Thompson got an early start on his college plans Thursday.

The 6-foot-2, 182-pound free safety announced his commitment to accept a scholarship offer from West Virginia University, which will leave the Big East Conference and begin play in the Big 12 next fall.

"I built a great relationship with the coaching staff there," Thompson said, "and me and my dad [Deon Thompson] were extremely comfortable with the situation.

"The academic advisers put everything into place, and the defensive coordinator and my position coach already had a plan mapped out for when I get down there."

Thompson, who played at Central last season after transferring from St. Francis, helped the Irish to a 8-4 overall record (5-2 in Three Rivers Athletic Conference) and a spot in the Division II regional playoff semifinals.

"West Virginia is a top-level program nationally, and coach [Dana] Holgorsen has them on the rise," Central head coach Greg Dempsey said.

"Jayme is a very athletic and versatile defensive player. Combining that with his size and playmaking ability will allow him to play early in his career at West Virginia."

Thompson contributed 73 tackles, including seven for losses, and one interception en route to first-team All-TRAC and Division II all-district honors, and was a second-team All-Ohio selection in D-II.

He anticipates a smooth transition to the college game after finishing his prep career.

"I liked their 3-3-5 [base defense], and now they're going to a 3-4, and I like that a lot because that's what I play at Central," Thompson said. "I like the people they're putting around us. They're getting NFL personnel as coaches, and they're building [the staff] up."

West Virginia finished the season 10-3 overall, with a surprisingly lopsided 70-33 victory over Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

The early commitment has an upside.

"Now I can give 100 percent effort and focus to my team at Central my senior year and just concentrate on working out and getting my grades as high as I can get them," Thompson said. "I want to be all in it for the team so we can to try to win a state championship."

Thompson has received significant Division I recruiting interest, including from several Big Ten, Mid-American Conference, and other programs, according to his father, who declined to specify which schools made scholarship offers.

Contact Steve Junga at: sjunga@theblade.com 419-724-6461, or on Twitter @JungaBlade.