Deionte Thompson Commits to Alabama: Tide Land Versatile Athlete for 2015 Class

The Alabama Crimson Tide have received the first verbal commitment to their 2015 class in Deionte Thompson.

The talented 2015 recruit was in attendance for Alabama's second junior day and reportedly received the offer from Nick Saban himself, according to Matt Scalici of AL.com, who cites a BamaOnline report:

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Thompson, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound,told BamaOnline that he received a scholarship offer in person from Nick Saban at the event and gave the Tide head coach an immediate reply.

"It went great. I was offered and I committed," Thompson toldBamaOnline. "The coaches said that I was a great pickup and they were glad to have me. It happened so fast. I just haven't embraced the feelings yet.

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Alabama's first 2015 commitment also Tweeted this picture of himself in a Crimson Tide jersey:

Thomson checks in at 6'2'', 175 pounds and he runs a 4.65 40-yard dash, according to 247Sports. He's not yet been officially ranked, but he's listed as a safety by 247Sports. He can also play wide receiver, but Alabama is recruiting him to play safety, according to Scalici's report.

His versatility will be a huge asset at the college level, but it's important to remember that Thompson is only a sophomore in high school. These next two seasons will be huge in determining where he will best fit on the football field.

If he bulks up a bit, it looks like he has the potential to be a big-time safety recruit—especially if he keeps his speed. The early commitment also affords him the opportunity to be very intentional with his training in the next few seasons. If he knows 'Bama wants him to play safety, he can really hit the weight room hard and focus on training for the safety position in the next two seasons.

That said, he also has the ability, speed and height to be an interesting wideout prospect, so if he really shines on offense in the next two years he'll, at the very least, present Alabama with that option.

Versatility will only play into his and Alabama's favor. You can coach many things, but talent is not one of them.

Of course there's also the fact that there's a ridiculous amount of time between now and the 2015 National Signing Day, and given the nature of verbal commitments, don't expect other programs to back off on the recruiting trail for Thompson.

The good news for the Crimson Tide though is that if there's a program in the country that has the draw, prestige and recruiting ability to keep a recruit committed for two years, it's Alabama.