‘Last Chance U’ legend Carlos Thompson making splash in IFL
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (BVM) – There might not be another player featured on the hit Netflix series “Last Chance U” with a more winding road than Carlos Thompson. Nonetheless, the former Season 3 standout is still scoring touchdowns.
Thompson’s collegiate career began in 2013 at Texas Tech after an impressive prep career at Manvel High School where he compiled 67 catches for 1,452 yards and 21 touchdowns. The three-star prospect chose Texas Tech over Louisiana-Lafayette and Old Dominion and played in five games, primarily on special teams, for the Red Raiders as a true freshman. He took his first career kickoff return for 73 yards.
The electric athlete wouldn’t hit the field again for another team until 2017 when he transferred to Independence Community College and became a fixture of Season 3 of “Last Chance U.”
While butting heads with Pirates head coach Jason Brown on multiple occasions, Thompson made big play after big play and morphed into a team leader by the end of his first season with Independence. He finished the year with 48 receptions for 544 yards and three touchdowns to go along with a kickoff return touchdown.
With Thompson’s first collegiate action coming in 2013, his five-year eligibility window for attending a Division I school ended at the conclusion of the 2017 season. This led Thompson to the Division II ranks and Missouri Western where he spent the 2018 season. The speedster finished third on the team with 17 receptions to go along with 261 receiving yards and led the Griffons’ with 14 kickoff returns for 240 yards. The highlight of his season came on a 72-yard touchdown reception against Northeastern State.
In January of 2019, Thompson announced via Twitter that he would skip his senior season at Missouri Western and prepare for the 2019 NFL Draft. He went undrafted and unsigned before being invited to join the XFL Draft where he was not taken either.
Thompson re-emerged on the gridiron in 2021 with the West Texas Warbirds, a professional indoor football team and member of the Arena Football Association (AFA). He quickly made an impact for the Warbirds, catching 60 passes for 980 yards and 16 touchdowns, before finding a new home for the 2022 season.
https://twitter.com/_ThatkidLos/status/1423327676769738752
The Sioux Falls Storm of the Indoor Football League (IFL) are the latest team to utilize Thompson’s services.
In the Storm’s most recent game on June 25 against the Massachusetts Pirates, Thompson caught four passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. He even contributed on the other side of the ball with five solo tackles. The week before against the Green Bay Blizzard, Thompson racked up 65 receiving yards on six catches and found the endzone via the ground game with a six-yard touchdown run. His best game of the season came during a 49-27 win over the Bay Area Panthers on April 22 when he caught a game-high seven passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
Layup lines 😈 pic.twitter.com/WIFC3AbuzZ
— Carlos Thompson (@_ThatkidLos) April 23, 2022
Thompson and the Storm are back in action on July 9 vs. the Green Bay Blizzard before wrapping up the regular season against the Frisco Fighters, the former IFL home of Malik Henry from “Last Chance U.”
