Given his speed, it might not fit.

Thompson, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound Kansas University freshman from Kilgore, Texas, was among the 31 newcomers who reported to KU’s preseason football camp on Sunday.

Like the rest of the incoming freshmen, Thompson is a red-shirt candidate, especially since he plays wide receiver, one of KU’s deepest positions, and since Kansas red-shirted all of its yearlings a year ago.

But Thompson is fast. Really fast. His senior year at Kilgore High, Thompson ran a 10.29-second 100-meter dash. That was the fastest time in the Texas prep ranks last season and one of the fastest high school times in the country.

Casey Wilson/Journal-World Photo

To put it in context, a legitimate 10.29-second 100 Thompson’s was hand-held; a rough electronic equivalent, he said, would be in the 10.4-second range would rank as the fourth fastest 100-meter time in KU track history.

“They like my speed,” Thompson said of Kansas University’s coaches. “When they recruited me, they said they’ve got pretty good speed and good, big possession receivers, but they wanted somebody who could stretch the field. I think I can do that. I want to play this year, but if it comes down to not being ready, I wouldn’t mind red-shirting. I’ll let my game speak for itself.”

Thompson recorded his blazing 100 time early in the track season, then pulled a hamstring leading up to the district meet. Thus, he didn’t get to compete at state, where, in the state’s largest class, fellow KU signee Leo Bookman won the 100 in 10.36 seconds. Bookman also won the 200 state title in 20.67 seconds, and KU is laying claim to the fact it signed the two fastest preps in the Lone Star State last season.

“I was disappointed I didn’t get to run at state,” Thompson said. “But I didn’t want to take any chances. I knew I’d be a candidate for all-star games, and I didn’t want to get hurt.”

Thompson stood out at the Texas-California prep all-star game over the summer with five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.

“It was a good game,” said Thompson, an all-stater who recorded 1,004 receiving yards in each of his final two years of high school. “We lost, but I think it helped prepare me for this year. There were all these college players on the same field. It gave me a taste of what to expect this year.”

Another Texan, Houston’s Austine Nwabuisi, checked into camp at roughly the same time as Thompson. Nwabuisi a 6-1, 215-pound running back rushed for 1,589 yards in just seven games as a senior at Episcopal High.

But, like Thompson, Nwabuisi is joining a position loaded with experience.

“We’ll have to wait and see what happens,” Nwabuisi said of his playing-time outlook. “It looks like tailbacks are stacked pretty deep. But we’ll see. If I red shirt, I wouldn’t be too disappointed.”

Nwabuisi, who spent his summer working, working out and playing rugby, was anxious about the start of two-a-days.

“I hope I’m in shape enough,” he said. “I ran a little, but not as much as I probably should have. I really don’t know what to expect. I’m glad we have a few days of just conditioning. I’m excited, nervous, anxious all of that.”

The newcomers will take physicals and go through testing today, then practice together beginning Tuesday. Veterans report on Wednesday, with media day slated for Thursday and the first day of full-squad practices on Friday.

Algen ailing: Senior wide receiver Algen Williams, a 6-1, 190-pounder from Lawrence High by way of Hutchinson Community College, was the only offseason injury, KU coach Terry Allen reported Sunday. Williams suffered torn meniscus in a knee and underwent surgery. Allen said Williams likely would miss the Jayhawks’ Sept. 2 opener at SMU, but could return for KU’s second game.

“It sounds realistic we’ll get him back for UAB,” Allen said.

Back to school: Allen and his staff visited NFL training camps over the summer as they have every year. Allen and the offensive coaches went to the Rams’ camp, while the defensive coaches visited camps of the Chiefs and Bears.

“It’s just professional development for the coaches,” Allen said. “It’s just observing, learning, preparing. We got some good ideas. Whether that translates to learning, I don’t know. We got some tweaks, some wrinkles.”

Transfer: One of the newcomers reporting Sunday was Brandon Lacy, a preferred walk-on who transferred from Tennessee-Martin. A native of Oklahoma City, Lacy plays defensive line. He’ll sit out a year under NCAA transfer guidelines.