Q&A: Antar Thomson
Throughout Missouri's spring football practices, we've brought you Q&A's from the 10 newcomers to the team. Thursday, we decided to catch up with a player who has been around the program for a year, but whose remarkable story bears revisiting.
Antar Thompson first committed to Missouri in May of 2012. He failed to qualify, went to junior college, withdrew to take care of his newborn son, tried another junior college, and withdrew again. Finally, after two years at Highland Community College, the defensive lineman earned his associate's degree and signed with Missouri in its 2017 recruiting class. You can read more about Thompson's journey to Missouri here.
Even once he made it to campus, Thompson met further adversity. He struggled to get back into shape, and his father passed away when the team was going through spring practices a year ago. But now, with Missouri needing to replace two starters at defensive tackle, he may finally have a chance to see meaningful playing time for Missouri. Thompson discusses his journey to the school, how it helped him through last season and his lofty goals for this year.
Question: You’ve been around now for a season and you obviously faced a bit of an adjustment getting to this level last year. What are the biggest things you’ve learned and taken away from the past year?
Antar Thompson: “Well right now, just basically learning gap technique and my assignments and the keys that i need to do on the field to be successful. When I first came in, I tried to go off like brute strength, and at this level of football that doesn’t work.”
Was there a physical adjustment as well? I know at one point last year you said you had to cut some weight.
AT: “Yeah, I came in around 345. Right now I’m down to about 310, some days I balance out at about 305. So I’m doing pretty well there.”
How has that helped?
AT: “I feel like that helps a lot in conditioning and like I said, with assignment and technique, because when the weight was up, it was hard to remember plays and stuff when you’re gassed, but now I have a little bit more air and it seems like things are moving a bit slower.”
You had a pretty long journey to get to Missouri. Was it difficult after all that to accept sitting out and playing on the scout team some last season?
AT: “It was hard at first, but looking back through it all, I benefited a lot from it. Learned to stick with it, you know, tough trials that you go through. … I’ve been through so much so I don’t look at things as it’s a kick to the face. I try to learn from it and try to see what I can puzzle from it to help me in life.”
Do you ever try to pass on that experience to your teammates? Like you said you’ve been through a lot, you’re a little older than most of them.
AT: “No, when you look back at life, like, all the stuff that I’m saying, older people tell you all the time. Like, hey, don’t do this, don’t do that. Sometimes, it’s better to make mistakes and learn, because most people, they don’t listen from mouth to mouth. Experiences, you gotta go through it physically sometimes to be a better person.”
After being in the program for a year, what are your goals or approach for this season?
AT: “I’m looking to get under 300 pounds, and one of my main goals is to possibly tough double-digit sacks this year. I’m a bigger guy, and most people look at me as a run-stopper, but i don’t feel like I’m who I can be yet, and I have a lot to work on and I’m going to get there.”
With two defensive tackles from last year, Terry Beckner and Walter Palmore, leaving, do you feel like there’s an opportunity for you to jump in there and get some more playing time?
AT: “I feel like I could be well-deserving of some playing time this year with the amount of time I’ve sat out and with the things I’ve been through, here and Mizzou and at juco. But we just have to wait and see, try to battle it out.”