He played college football for the Washington State Cougars and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft.
[1] Washington State finished the season with 10 wins and made it to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1931, losing to the #1 ranked Michigan Wolverines 21–16.
During this period, Thompson was converted to cornerback, used to return punts, and even occasionally as a receiver on offense, but still excelled on defense, intercepting four passes in both seasons.
Now back playing safety again, he intercepted a career-high 8 passes and assisted his team to a 9–2 record and a win over Purdue University in the Sun Bowl.
Thompsons's teammates in 2001 included future NFL defensive backs Marcus Trufant, Jason David, and Erik Coleman.
He finished his career at Washington State with 22 interceptions, the fourth highest total in NCAA division 1 history,[2] which he returned for 222 yards and a touchdown.