McLeod Bethel-Thompson is one of the lesser known names on the football roster, but two weeks into spring practice, the walk-on quarterback has emerged from the anonymity of being low on the depth chart.
Bethel-Thompson has taken a good amount of scrimmage reps and has shown flashes of potential as two of the three quarterbacks above him have been out with injury at one point or another this spring.
“(This spring) was a great opportunity for me,” Bethel-Thompson said. “It was unfortunate that quarterbacks had to go down for me to get my opportunity. But it was a great opportunity and being the fourth quarterback, I was kind of wondering how many reps I’d get coming into spring. I was still trying to learn as I was playing last week.”
Despite having to learn on the job, Bethel-Thompson, who redshirted this past season, has caught the attention of offensive coordinator Jay Norvell.
“Mac’s been having a good spring,” Norvell said. “I’m really proud of his progress. … He’s a smart guy. He’s worked hard, throws a nice ball, and he’s made a lot of strides. He’s a good, good player.”
For the 6-foot-3-inch, 222-pound 18-year-old, little motivation is required other than just to be out playing.
“He’s here because he loves the game and he wants to have an opportunity to play,” Norvell said. “He’s out here now throwing, after everyone else is gone. … He’s an easy guy to motivate. I just told him he’s gotta be ready when he gets his opportunities and he has been.”
Although Bethel-Thompson does not need much of a push to keep at it day in and day out, the possibility of earning a scholarship some time down the road is in the back of his mind.
“They said I’d have an opportunity to compete for a scholarship and compete to move my way up the depth chart,” he said. “I’m definitely trying to do that and take every opportunity I can to move my way up.”
Bethel-Thompson isn’t the only walk-on to show some serious signs of what’s to come. Running back Ryen Carew has also had his fair share of reps with the top two backs out for spring.
“Ryen’s had a good spring,” Norvell said. “He’s got a lot of opportunities. That’s what spring’s about. We give a lot of our younger guys an opportunity in the spring to show what they can do.”
HOLLYWOOD INJURY: During a 7-on-7 drill on Thursday, defensive tackle Kevin Brown went down with what looked to be an ankle injury but was actually just a nice acting job.
“That’s part of the drill,” coach Karl Dorrell said. “That’s part of our strategy defensively ““ find ways to stop the clock. He must have done a good job.”
DEAN COMMITS: Running back Aundre Dean of Katy, Texas verbally committed to UCLA on Wednesday, Scout.com reported. Dean rushed for 2,111 yards and 27 touchdowns this past season as a junior and earned All-State honorable mention. He had backed out of a verbal commitment to Texas A&M after taking an unofficial visit to UCLA during his spring break.
“Honestly, the reason I picked UCLA was mainly the coaching staff,” Dean told Scout.com. “In between the time from when I de-committed from A&M, they didn’t pressure. … They knew that when I went up there for the maroon and white game it might have brought me closer to them. But it actually brought me closer to UCLA.”
CORRECTIONS: In an earlier version of this article, a line regarded Bethel-Thompson incorrectly stated that he did need “much of a push to keep at it day in and day out,” and Ryen Carew’s name was spelled incorrectly.