Pitt Edge Prospect Climbs Rankings

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI
By Kevin Sinclair | Last updated May 11, 2025 4:00 PM ET

XL @_Cullenthompson

Back on March 8, On SI reported that 6-foot-4, 215-pound edge rusher Cullen Thompson out ofSpring (Tx.) Grand Oaks would be visiting the Pitt Panthers on March 13.

At the time, Thompson carried offers from Baylor, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Pitt, and others. He's an intriguing pass rusher recruit, despite only having one full year of varsity ball under his belt.

“...(My coach) told me that they were going to offer me. The next day, I got on the phone with the DC, Coach Randy Bates…At the time, I had an offer from a small HBCU, and then all of a sudden, I had a really big ACC offer,” Thompson said on March 8.

Prior to his rise as a Power Four prospect, Thompson competed in the junior olympics and has since clocked 40-yard dash times in the 4.4 and 4.3 range. It's part of why he's since picked up additional offers from Syracuse and others.

Last week, Thompson received a significant ranking adjustment.

Formerly unranked per 247Sports, the Texas product rose to high-three-star status, now ranked No. 599 overall nationally.

#Blessed to earn a 3⭐️rating @247recruiting . The evaluation is fair, & motivates me to get better! @BrandonHuffman @CharlesPower @Andrew_Ivins @gabrieldbrooks @mzenitz @SWiltfong_ @TomLoy247 @Perroni247 @GregBiggins @AllenTrieu @ChrisKarpman @zach_goodall @MikeRoach247 pic.twitter.com/WNOZ5ABOG2
— Cullen Scott Thompson 3⭐️ (@_Cullenthompson) May 6, 2025

“(When) you walk up to the building, half of it’s Pittsburgh Steelers, half of it’s Pitt Panthers football,” Thompson said following his March visit. “The contrast of being able to play in front of NFL scouts every day in practice and stuff, that's something to look forward to.”

“The other thing that stood out was they re-did the whole building..It just looks super-duper nice inside,” Thompson added. “They changed the locker room. They made a new breakfast facility, a new everything. It's just everything is brand new in there.”

Currently, Thompson has official visits set for UNLV and Oklahoma State next month. It's unclear if he'll take an official visit to Pittsburgh given that he's already visited the Panthers this off-season. But Thompson is most definitely strongly considering the ACC squad.