Abe Thompson believed he deserved some FBS college football offers coming out of Yuma Cibola High School.
When they never came, he accepted a partial scholarship at FCS Northern Arizona to play fullback then quickly squandered that opportunity.
"I got up there and started playing and thinking I have a higher ceiling," said Thompson, now a walk-on linebacker at Arizona State. "Then off the field stuff became more important than football and that's when I lost myself a little bit."
It's not like Thompson was a freshman phenom at NAU. He rushed for all of 12 yards and is best remember for a 45-yard reception against Northern Colorado.