QB Casey Thompson set to announce his decision on Thursday afternoon

Casey Thompson knows recruiting can be a tricky game for quarterbacks. Wait too long to decide, and schools can quickly fill up their allotment at the position, leaving a prospect at risk of losing his spot. Commit to early and there's a risk of not doing enough research and settling on a school before the player is fully ready.

For Thompson, the time is right, and the Moore (OK) Southmoore product will announce his decision at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. Thompson will choose from a final group of schools that includes Texas, North Carolina, Arizona State, Miami, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

"I pretty much have made my mind up. I'm just going to give it a little more time, more thought, just making sure I'm 100 percent in with that school, then telling the other schools respectfully, that I won't be attending," Thompson said. "The past few weeks, I've been sitting down with my family and we've been talking about it. We're all on the same page."

Once he does make his decision official, Thompson plans to immediately turn his attention towards recruiting other players. The 6-1, 176-pound Thompson is a personable prospect who is already good friends with a number of recruits in the region and feels he can convince others to follow his lead.

"I never thought about the recruiting part of it. I guess that's the last process, but I think it's good as a quarterback, you want to sign earlier than the other guys. I'm pretty confident in my leadership, my connections, how well I get along," Thompson said. "I know a lot of these guys, so I plan on recruiting pretty hard."

Last weekend, Thompson took an unofficial visit to Texas, where he got to see the Longhorns go through a spring scrimmage. It was a good experience overall for the Rivals250 member, including getting some time with offensive coordinator Tim Beck.

"This time around, I got to sit in on meetings, learn how coach Beck coaches the quarterbacks, how coach Herman coaches the team," Thompson said. "I got to be around the guys, see how they do things, watch practice. I love the way they coach. l like coach Herman's energy. Each position coach does a good job of keeping guys going. I think the team does a good job of keeping the energy up."

During the visit, Beck and some of the UT players were telling Thompson he'd be a good fit in the UT program.

"A lot of it, coach Beck just wanted me to be around him and the quarterbacks, see how he coaches, see how the offense fits me," Thompson said. "There were a lo t of coaches there that said come to Texas, make an impact, come compete, we could use your skills. A lot of the players on the team were telling me that I need to come there too."

Whoever lands Thompson on Thursday will be getting a dual-threat quarterback who can make plays with his arm or legs, and a player who takes pride in his work ethic.

"I think it's just whatever program that gets me is going to get a guy who strives to be the best, works hard on and off the field," Thompson said. "I'm going to try to outdo everyone around me, be in the film room and weight room as much as I can. I think with my running ability and my arm, I bring diverse athleticism."