Kenneth Thompson glanced over at the Northwestern sideline and swallowed hard.

Thompson was making his debut as a Kansas University football player — logging time on the special teams and as a nickel back — against the school to which he once tendered an oral commitment.

“I saw the coach who recruited me and I said, ‘Oh, man,'” Thompson said.

After Northwestern posted a 28-20 victory over the Jayhawks in the season opener, players and coaches on both teams shook hands, as is customary, and Thompson sought out Jeff Genyk, the Wildcats’ running backs coach and recruiting coordinator.

“I shook his hand and said, ‘Good game.’ That’s about all I could say,” Thompson said. “If we’d have won, it would have been a different story.”

Thompson had committed to Northwestern in early December of last year, but changed his mind after he visited the KU campus later that month.

“I picked Kansas,” he said, “because I wanted to be a part of building the program.”

First, however, Thompson, a 5-foot-10, 180-pounder from Grand Prairie, Texas, had to qualify for a scholarship. Outwardly glib and clearly bright, Thompson was recruited by such noted academic institutions as Northwestern, Stanford, SMU and Rice after compiling a 3.5 grade point average at Nimitz High.

Academic paradox

Yet Thompson has always been an academic paradox.

“There’s something about tests,” he said. “I was never a good test taker.”

Twice last summer, Thompson was unable to post an NCAA-qualifying score on the SAT, meaning he would either have to go to a junior college or enroll at Kansas and lose a year of eligibility under NCAA rules.

Thompson chose neither option. On the advice of his parents, he elected to stay home and take the test for a third and last time in late September. As the test date approached, Thompson tried to stay calm.

“I pretty much had the jitters the whole time because I knew I had to pass that one,” he said.

Despite the jitters and despite his history, Thompson boosted his score above the qualifying level.

“Man, I called everybody I could think of to tell them,” he said. “I mean, I called everybody.”

Including, of course, the Kansas University coaching staff. With everything in order, Thompson enrolled for KU’s spring semester and participated in spring drills.

Hybrid freshman

On paper, therefore, Thompson is a hybrid, a cross between a true freshman and a red-shirt freshman. He didn’t come right out of high school to participate, yet he didn’t sit out a season without playing, either.

However Thompson is cubby-holed, it’s apparent he is a comer. KU coach Mark Mangino is bringing him along slowly as a special-teams player and as the extra defensive back in passing situations.

“We are now working him more and more at the cornerback position as well,” Mangino said. “He is not quite ready to take it on by himself, but in the future I could see him getting more and more reps at the corner position. That is great for a guy who is in the first year of our program.”

Once Thompson’s experience catches up with his speed and athleticism, he figures to see more and more playing time, and that’s all right with him.

“I just love being out on the field,” he said. “Any chance I get at playing I’m ready. Right now this is my chance and I need to make the most of it.”

In high school, Thompson played both ways, rushing for 4,127 career yards and intercepting a dozen passes in the secondary.

“I miss offense so bad. It seems like that’s where the glory is,” Thompson said, “but I’m cool with playing defense.”

Big day in Wyoming

Thompson was plenty cool on defense on a cool day last Saturday in Wyoming when he put up his best numbers with two tackles and two passes broken up.

That was only his third game as a collegian. He wishes it had been his 14th or 15th. Quite likely, he would have been playing as the nickel back and a special teamer at this time last year if he had qualified.

“All of it was my fault,” he said. “I could have been here.”