Throw a football helmet over that shaggy hair though and another person emerges. The smile disappears, and the punisher appears.

“He’s physical, I preach that over and over here, and he’s a kid that embodies that,” South Hamilton head football coach Corey Klemp said of Thompson, his all-state star this past season. “He loves to be physical, and when you couple that with his talents you have a kid that’s going to sign a scholarship to play football.”

And that’s precisely what Thompson did last Friday.

With his family by his side, Thompson officially signed to play football at Upper Iowa University, a Division II school located in Fayette. He chose the Peacocks and head coach Jason Hoskins over Morningside College and Midland University.

Trevor Thompson signs his letter of intent to play college football at Upper Iowa last Friday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

“It’s good to finally make a decision,” Thompson, who will join an Upper Iowa roster that already features 23 players from Iowa, said. “It’s a huge, huge relief because that recruiting process is really stressful, but it’s also really fun. I enjoyed every second of it and I’m thankful to all of the coaches that reached out and gave me a chance.

“Everything about (Upper Iowa), I felt at home. There’s a great attitude there, the players are awesome and I love the coaching staff. Overall, it’s just a really nice school.”

This has been the goal since Thompson first stepped onto the field for South Hamilton as a freshman. He wanted to play college football, and he spent four years getting his mind and body in position to make it a reality.

“It’s been a dream of mine since my freshman year when I started to really fall in love with the game of football,” Thompson said. “It’s kind of surreal and something to look forward to, and I’m going to get after it.”

A four-year contributor and three-year starter on both sides of the ball for South Hamilton, Thompson helped the Hawks accumulate a 29-9 record over that span. He’s a multiple-time all-district selection and was named to the Class 1A all-state team by the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association last fall.

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Arguably the best player on both sides of the ball in 1A District 3 in 2020, Thompson rushed for 1,326 yards and 17 touchdowns, and made 55 tackles. Over his career, he accumulated 2,368 yards on the ground — he averaged 5.9 yards per carry — and 30 TDs, and piled up 152 tackles, 79 of which were solo stops. He also made 131⁄2 tackles for loss and 31⁄2 sacks, and intercepted two passes.

Thompson’s physical style, size — he’s 6-foot-1 and played football last fall at 215 pounds — and athleticism make him a prototypical college linebacker.

“Kids with Trevor’s ability here at South Hamilton, they’re asked to do special teams, offense, defense and the whole thing,” Klemp said. “So to watch him zero in on one side of the ball is going to allow his abilities to flourish.”

Thompson says he’s excited to concentrate on playing linebacker at the next level.

“Just focusing on linebacker is going to be really fun, and I think I’m going to get really good,” he said.

DFJ photo/Troy Banning