UCLA Offers Nacogdoches Defensive Back + Texas Commitment Josh Thompson

UCLA offers to East Texas football players are few and far between. Unless you're a Nacogdoches defensive back.

The Bruins program reached out to Josh Thompson on Thursday morning and presented the standout defensive back his 26th scholarship opportunity from an NCAA Division I FBS school.

Thompson (6-0, 182), a Texas commitment, reported the news through his personal Twitter account. It is his second offer issued since pledging to Texas in July, preceded by interest from Penn State.

Nacogdoches is preparing for its most important game of the season Friday. It hosts Jacksonville with an opportunity to clinch a last-minute playoff berth despite stumbling to a current league record of 1-3 in District 17-5A.

Thompson has 62 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups through Nacogdoches' first nine games from his safety spot. He also has 210 yards and four touchdowns as a part-time receiver.

UCLA's offer to Thompson marked its third call to a Nacogdoches player in three years. It targeted cornerback Jaylon Lane in 2014 and safety Brandon Jones in 2015.

Lane committed to Oklahoma State before an off-the-field incident persuaded him to rebuild his reputation at the junior college level. The Bruins have since offered him a second time.

Jones committed and signed with Texas and is mostly a special teams player for the Longhorns as a true freshman.

UCLA only has one other invitation out for a regional football player within the Class of 2016 of the area's 29 identified FBS caliber players. It belongs to Bullard tight end and recent Alabama commitment Major Tennison.

The Bruins are currently 3-5 overall and 1-4 in Pac-12 Conference play. They're three games behind a three-team tie for first place in the South Division of the conference and three wins away from certain bowl eligibility with four remaining games in the regular season.

This 2016 team has been the most disappointing of head coach Jim Mora's five squads in Los Angeles. His first four teams won at least eight regular season games and all of them reached at least mid-level bowl games.

Mora's first team, the 2009 squad, reached the Pac-12 championship game.

With that prior track record, however, Mora is in strong position to continue on as the Bruins' coach. He also has NFL head coaching experience from stints with the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks.

Mora was exclusively an NFL guy before taking the job at UCLA other than one year of graduate assistant work at Washington in 1984 after playing football for the Huskies program.

UCLA has produced 39 consensus All-Americans and has won 17 conference titles through its 97 years of competition. Its 1954 team won the national championship.

The Bruins play their games at the 92,000-seat Rose Bowl Stadium in nearby Pasadena, Calif., but they attend classes in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is the second largest city in the United States with more than 4 million residents and is, by and large, the world's movie and music production capital.

Thompson, like all senior high school football prospects, will become eligible to sign with any school that offers him in February.

2017 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

• Tristan Allen, Atlanta, LB, 6-3, 206 — offer from Louisiana Tech, UTEP (2)
• Judah Bell, Tyler Bishop Gorman, WR, 6-3, 180 — committed to Navy; additional offers from Bowling Green, Coastal Carolina, Houston, Kansas, Memphis, New Mexico, North Texas, SMU, ULL, ULM, UTSA, Wyoming (13)
• Noah Bush, Athens, LB, 6-1, 216 — offers from Air Force, Army (2)
• Lagaryonn Carson, Liberty-Eylau, DE, 6-4, 261 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, North Texas, Oklahoma, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M (9)
• Terrell Cooper, Lindale, DE, 6-3, 240 — offers from Arkansas State, Memphis, North Texas, Texas State (4)
• Trestan Ebner, Henderson, WR, 5-11, 180 — committed to TCU; additional offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Colorado State, Houston, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Texas, Ole Miss, SMU, Syracuse, UTSA, Texas A&M, Tulsa (18)
• Montrell Estell, Hooks, WR/DB, 6-2, 180 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, Kansas, Notre Dame, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane (12)
• Octavius Evans, Center, WR, 6-2, 186 — offers from Indiana, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Texas State, ULL (7)
• Ted Fuller, Harleton, RB, 5-11, 195 — offers from ULM, Wyoming (2)
• Tre Gatlin, Carthage, DE, 6-6, 210 —offer from Wyoming (1)
• Quan Hampton, Texas High, WR, 5-8, 165 — committed to Texas State (1)
• Austin Hawley, Gladewater, DB, 6-1, 200 — committed to ULM (1)
• Kollin Hurt, Gilmer, DB, 6-3, 175 — committed to Louisiana Tech; additional offers from ULM, UTSA (3)
• Jordan Johnson, Hooks, ATH, 6-0, 195 — committed to Air Force; additional offer from Army (1)
• Kayce Medlock, Arp, ATH, 5-10, 186 — committed to SMU; additional offers from Army, Colorado, Navy, Tulane, ULL, UTSA (7)
• Damion Miller, John Tyler, WR, 6-1, 189 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Baylor, Houston, Kansas, Missouri, North Texas, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech (11)
• LaMarcus Morton, Gilmer, WR, 6-2, 175 — committed to Oklahoma State; additional offers from Arkansas State, Colorado State, Houston, Indiana, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, New Mexico State, Texas Tech, Tulsa, ULL, ULM, UTSA (13)
• Javonta Mosley, John Tyler, CB, 6-1, 170 — committed to UTSA; additional offers from Arkansas State, Houston, Memphis, North Texas, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, ULL, ULM (10)
• Cade Pearson, Texas High, QB, 6-3, 193 — committed to North Texas; additional offer from Wyoming (2)
• Dhailon Phillips, Lufkin, WR, 6-3, 195 — offers from Air Force, Army, Texas State (3)
• Dez Robinson, Atlanta, LB, 6-3, 210 — offers from UTEP, Wyoming (2)  
• Kordell Rodgers, Lufkin, QB/ATH, 5-10, 165 — committed to Texas State; additional offers from Arkansas State, ULM (3)
• Makyle Sanders, Tyler Lee, S, 6-1, 177 — offers from Air Force, Memphis, Navy, North Texas (4)
• Bryson Smith, John Tyler, QB/ATH, 6-0, 170 — committed to Houston; additional offers from Air Force, Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Memphis, New Mexico, North Texas, Purdue, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Tulane, Tulsa, ULL, ULM, UTSA (16)
• D’Torian Smith, Tatum, DE/LB, 6-3, 225 — committed to Air Force; additional offers from ULM, UTEP (3)
• Major Tennison, Bullard, TE, 6-6, 248 — committed to Alabama; additional offers from Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, SMU, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA (14)
• Josh Thompson, Nacogdoches, CB, 6-0, 182 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Arkansas State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Houston, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisiana Tech, Minnesota, Missouri, North Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma State, Penn State, SMU, TCU, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, UCLA, ULM, Utah, UTSA, Washington State, Wyoming (26)
• Lakendrick VanZandt, Henderson, S, 6-1, 196 — committed to TCU; additional offers from Arkansas State, Houston, Memphis, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Tulane, Tulsa (8)
• Traveion Webster, Longview, S, 6-0, 197 — offer from ULM (1)