Sports
Garrett Thompson might not be the underdog anymore, but he holds onto the feeling to dominate
By: Marc Goldstein
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — The quiet confidence that oozes off Garrett Thompson before he enters the mat is palpable. Thompson is one of the top wrestlers in the country, but the way he carries himself is like the underdog he once was.
Growing up in Murrysville, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Thompson has been indoctrinated in wrestling since he can remember. Simply put, Thompson was raised by the sport. His high school, Franklin Regional, only added to the intensity of his passion for the sport. Franklin Regional is home to one of the most prolific wrestling programs in the Pittsburgh-area. The year before Thompson arrived at Franklin Regional, the legendary career of 2024 US Olympic Silver Medalist Spencer Lee had just ended. Lee was en route to Iowa City to wrestle for Iowa, but left a legacy where he went 144-1 during his four years. Thompson admits that the status of the program was something that molded him.
“It was awesome,” Thompson said. “Obviously, when you’re a young guy looking at such an elite high school program, there’s a lot of guys to look up to. Seeing how they trained and trying to copy that… There are a lot of good guys to look up to. It’s not only Spencer, but there’s a lot of other dudes that went through that program a couple of years before me that I’ve been watching since I was younger.”
After Thompson’s high school career, he made his way to Athens where he wrestled at the 157-pound class in his freshman and sophomore seasons. He saw part-time action during that time, filling in when needed and posting strong numbers despite not getting regular time on the mat.
It was last season, his redshirt sophomore year, that Thompson emerged. He moved up to the open spot in the 165-pound class and excelled. Thompson quickly rose through the rankings last season, eventually making the NCAA Tournament and earning a win before bowing out. He finished second in the MAC as well.
Entering the 2024-25 season, Thompson knew his role was bound to change. Not only did he move up to the 174-pound class, but he was one of the top handful wrestlers in the conference at his weight class as a result. Thompson filled in for Sal Perrine, who is out for the season with an injury sustained late last season. This move up a weight class marked the third time he has done so during his collegiate career. That being said, it does not matter to him as he believes the pillars of how he approaches matches remain the same regardless of his weight class.
Thompson has opened the year by winning all of his matches in duals and is the leading contender to take home a MAC title in March and make a deep run in NCAAs. Thompson, however, remains razor focused on not looking too far ahead of him. In his mind, he is locked in on the final two duals of the season ahead of the MAC Championships.
“I think just this year I’ve been kind of focused on taking it one match at a time instead of thinking about the outcome of the whole season.” Thompson said. “I’ve been trying to slow it down in my mind, taking each match one single match at a time and, hopefully, I’ll be on the podium this year.”
Thompson is a consensus top-ten wrestler at his class, but still might not be getting the same respect for his record as some of his counterparts at larger programs. Some of this is due to the quality of competition Thompson has faced. Although not his fault by any stretch of the matter, he does not have the same resume as someone at, say, Penn State or Iowa due to the limited opportunities to get ranked wins.
“My goal is always the same: it doesn’t matter who’s out there or if they’re ranked or not,” Thompson said. “Anything can happen. I mean, obviously like last year, I was an unranked guy so anything can happen. Just keeping the same mindset and being ready for everything and just preparing the same for every match, no matter if it’s considered a ranked kid.”
Regardless of who he faces, Thompson has been winning and, recently, in dominant fashion. He has produced bonus-point wins in nine of the ten duals this season, including nine straight. The level of dominance displayed by Thompson this season is crazy to conceptualize.
Thompson will deflect the praise to his teammates and coaches in true consummate professional manner. However, there is something to be said about an individual that repeatedly puts his team on his back and dominates. His goals remain the same: win an individual MAC title, become an All-American and win a MAC team title for Ohio.
“I don’t really think there’s a ceiling with this team as long as we keep doing what we’re doing,” Thompson said. “Obviously, the goal is to win a team MAC title and I don’t think that’s out of reach by any means. We’re still just trying to prepare for the end of the year, which is what matters most.”
Thompson understands that he is not the most physically imposing wrestler in his weight class. He understands the uphill climb that might await him at NCAAs with wrestlers that have battled through a season chock-full of ranked wins against high-quality competition. Like his teammate, Peyten Kellar, did last season, he will have to surprise many in the collegiate wrestling spheres. However, being the underdog is a comfortable position for Thompson and one he relishes.