Ohio LB transfer finds 'the right fit' at Pitt
In the fall of 2019, Keye Thompson and his teammates at Ohio traveled to Pittsburgh for a Week Two matchup with Pitt.
Five years later, Thompson will be playing football on the North Shore again - only this time, he’ll be playing for the home team, as the linebacker from Akron announced on Thursday that he will be joining the Panthers as a transfer after taking a midweek visit.
“I just think it was the right fit,” Thompson told Panther-Lair.com. “I wanted to come and play at the Power Five level and step into a defensive team with coaches like Coach (Pat) Narduzzi, Coach (Randy) Bates and Coach (Ryan) Manalac.
“It just felt really good. I liked the atmosphere and being around the NFL was another advantage to it.”
The last time Thompson played at Acrisure Stadium, it was called Heinz Field. He logged eight snaps on that Saturday in September 2019, and while the name of the stadium has changed, he still remembers what it was like walking onto the field.
“When I played there, I was a redshirt freshman, so I had big eyes, just seeing stadium and kind of being in shock, so now it’s kind of surreal to know it’s going go be my home.”
Thompson ultimately started seven games that season and recorded 51 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss. After the lost year of Covid in 2020 and not playing in 2021, Thompson broke out in 2022. He led Ohio with 96 tackles and recorded 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception and two fumble recoveries.
In 2023, Thompson had his best season yet, recording 94 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, another interception, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. He earned first-team All-Mac honors for his performance and entered the transfer portal after the season.
Pitt was one of the first schools to reach out to Thompson, 6’1” 225, once he entered the portal, and he said he likes the vision the Pitt coaches have for using him in the Panthers’ defense.
“They’re recruiting me for [middle linebacker], but they want me to learn all three and then hit the field and see where I plug in, what the best fit is for me.
“At Ohio, I played [weak-side linebacker] until 2022 and [middle linebacker] the last two seasons. Our defense was a little complex, so I was kind of a Mike-nickel because I played in space and then when offenses used three receivers to spread it out, I had some of the Nickel’s duties in pass coverage. I was versatile with that.
“Coach Manalac liked my explosiveness and my instincts. He said I remind him of SirVocea Dennis, who got drafted by Tampa Bay. He said he sees traits I can bring to the defense and likes how I blitz and my athletic ability.”
Thompson will come to Pitt with one year of eligibility remaining. He plans to move to Pittsburgh next week.