Western Kentucky defensive tackle Terrion Thompson carries a WKU flag on the field after the Tops came from behind to beat Old Dominion, 38-35, in overtime in the Famous Toastery Bowl on Dec. 18 at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

You might think Terrion Thompson doesn’t have anything left to prove on the football field.

The former Bowling Green High School standout did it the hard way at Western Kentucky, joining the program as a walk-on before quickly earning a scholarship, then playing time and finally a regular role with this coming season shaping up to be Thompson’s most active yet for the Hilltoppers.

Still something to prove? You bet.

The Tops’ versatile 6-foot, 286-pound defensive lineman credits a long list of people with helping him reach this point, from current WKU head coach Tyson Helton and his staff present and past, to his high school coaches and of course his family with supporting and pushing Thompson to realize his full potential – on the field and in the classroom.

“Coach Helton being the head coach helped a lot,” Thompson said. “He sacrificed a lot for me to still be here, still being able to play, going to classes – dealt with a lot of things from the school-side part of it and he’s been a huge help. And of course my family, they’ve always sacrificed a lot for me. And coaches back in high school too. Every day it’s not to prove people wrong, but to prove those people right.”

Listed as a defensive tackle on the Tops’ roster, that designation doesn’t really tell the story of Thompson’s contributions on the defensive line. His versatility has allowed WKU defensive coordinator Tyson Summers to use Thompson as a plug-and-play option anywhere along the front.

“Certainly a very team-oriented guy – I’m very proud of Terrion,” Summers said. “He’s a guy that’s home-grown from here in town, comes in and earns a scholarship very quickly. He can play all three defensive line positions for us. He’s an end in some package, a nose in some packages, a tackle in some and if we get really big believe it or not he’s the outside linebacker. So he can do it all.”

Thompson takes pride in that positional flexibility and being available whenever and wherever he is needed during games. Last season, Thompson saw action in all 13 games for the Hilltoppers all along the defensive line. He produced right from the start, tallying a season-high six tackles in WKU’s home win against South Florida at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

“One of my best traits is that I can play multiple spots, so throughout the season I’m going to still be that guy that can move around and play different spots,” Thompson said. “I like the nose guard, but I can always go to tackle (or) sometime if they needed somebody to go to end. So just staying ready for whatever the situation needs me to be.”

Thompson, who saw action in six games during his second freshman season in 2021, really started to emerge as a sophomore as he played in all 14 games and tallied 21 tackles, including a pair of sacks among four tackles for loss.

Then last year, Thompson picked up 22 total tackles and five tackles for loss – which ranked third on the team and included two more sacks – plus a fumble recovery he returned for 63 yards to set up a touchdown against Troy.

In 33 career appearance, Thompson has yet to start for the Hilltoppers. That’s something he would like to change this season.

“Always to start, but at the end of the day if we’re winning that’s all that matters,” Thompson said. “I’m trying to make sure I finally get a conference championship ring, so whatever that takes, whatever they need me to do for that is what I’m here for.”

Thompson has come a long way since his days at Bowling Green, where he was a four-year starter who tallied 128 career tackles, seven sacks and five fumble recoveries during a highly productive run with the Purples.

The D1 offers didn’t exactly pour in despite that production, but Thompson always considered himself a high-level prospect on the football field. Summers gave him the opportunity to show that at WKU.

“I always felt I was D1, but it didn’t really click in my mind that I was really ‘here’ here until I finally got to play. That UT Martin game I got my first tackle, then Indiana – my first big game against a big team – those type of games, it really clicked in my head that I’m really here. I’m really playing D1, FBS football.”

Thompson has played plenty since that college debut back in 2021, with the expectation of helping anchor a WKU defense that has some holes to fill but also plenty of returning experience.

“He can flip from series to series,” Summers said of Thompson. “Incredibly intelligent, wants to be a coach one day and he’s the guy that when you refer to doing the dirty work, he’s willing to do the dirty work but he’s always been able to take the intelligence factor with it and play to his strengths.”

Thompson said during fall camp he’s been focused on staying mentally ready and staying in the moment. That mental toughness has carried him through the tough times so far and kept Thompson balanced through the highs and lows of the season.

“Camp’s going good,” Thompson said. “We’ve got a steady buildup every single day. Me personally, I’m trying work on being consistent every day and not having down days – keep the good days consistently going. As for the team, the goal is to probably get that conference championship but it takes one day at a time.”

Starting out as a walk-on was “a rough journey,” Thompson admits, but a strong support system helped him all along the way. He sees current walk-ons at WKU following that same path, and Thompson is always among their biggest supporters in turn.

“Sometimes it’s hard to even tell who’s a walk-on because everybody has the same standard, no matter what,” Thompson said. “It is kind of hard to even tell, but for those who I know are walk-ons I stay connected with them a little because I know what they’ve been through, I know what they’re going through because I was just there. So always seeing them keep that extra chip on their shoulder, making sure that they’re extra, extra attentive, extra effort no matter what – it’s great to see.”