SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS

July 16, 2025

Brenen Thompson

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Press Conference

Q. I wanted to get some of your perspective, having been in college sports, the changing scenery we're seeing with things like the revenue sharing that just started and NIL recently and all of that. How do you see maybe recruiting changing, especially for a team like Mississippi State that's looking to recruit and rebuild?

BRENEN THOMPSON: Money isn't everything. It shouldn't be. Obviously we're in a new world and it is. Just focusing on football, I think when you go to a school somewhere, you're there to play football. So that's the most important thing.

Q. You've transferred in to Mississippi State. What does it mean to be selected to represent the team at SEC Media Days before you've worn the uniform in a game?

BRENEN THOMPSON: It's an honor. It really is. It's a blessing. It really is. It's an honor. I think all my teammates trust me and I trust them. It's really a blessing to be here today.

Q. Obviously you're looking ahead to the upcoming season last year you got to play with Jackson Arnold, who also transferred he's going to be the starting quarterback at Auburn this season. What can you say about the player that Auburn is getting?

BRENEN THOMPSON: They're getting an amazing player amazing athlete, but even a better human. He's an amazing human on the field and amazing human off the field. He's a great guy. I enjoyed my time with him. He actually hit me up this morning. Shout-out to Jackson.

Q. What can we expect from this offense this year. Obviously with Blake's injury last year, didn't get the full scope of it. What you know of the offense, what can we expect?

BRENEN THOMPSON: We're going to play fast and we're going to be explosive. And we're going to put up a lot of points.

Q. With the game against Southern Miss also an in-state game, not necessarily a rivalry, but I guess they all are in Mississippi, you're new, can you talk about starting off the season that way against a team that's also with a new head coach and a lot of new players?

BRENEN THOMPSON: I'm excited. Obviously I'm excited to put on the uni for the first time and actually take the field with my brothers.

Game one, I think the jitters are always there. Being right there in Mississippi, a lot of family will be there with me. I'm just excited to get that game started too.

Q. You had options in the transfer portal. What was it about Mississippi State, Jeff Lebby, that made it the right move with you?

BRENEN THOMPSON: It was the history I had with Coach Lebby. He knew what he was getting and what I was expecting.

And then ultimately Starkville. I'm from Spearman Texas, 3,000 people in the town. So Starkville is very much like home to me, very small town, country. That's what I'm about.

Q. Do hometown people come over? Do you think you'll see some in Starkville?

BRENEN THOMPSON: No doubt. My family has always been a big support of mine. They'll definitely be there.

Q. What are you learning about the passion of football in Mississippi that you haven't maybe experienced yet?

BRENEN THOMPSON: It's a big deal. It's a big deal. Obviously coming from Texas, it's a big deal as well. But Mississippi State football, to me it's everything now. It's where my feet are. It's where God has led me. I'm excited to go put on for the State.

Q. Being from Texas, going back to recruiting, how close of a decision was it for you? I know Texas A&M, you had taken a visit. What were kind of your impressions of A&M?

BRENEN THOMPSON: It was a hard decision for me, ultimately. I think if I could go back and do it again, I probably would have done it a little differently. We're all human.

We're at the end of the day 17-, 18-year-old kids trying to make a life-changing decision. For me, choosing Austin, I just wanted something a little different from what I grew up in, a small town community.

Ultimately realized maybe that's not what I want. So trials and tribulation and errors and learning from my mistakes, it's made me the man I am today.

Q. You have pretty deep convictions for a young man. Where does that come from?

BRENEN THOMPSON: My mother, for sure. My mother raised me right. Shout out to Bonnie, she's probably listening right now. She's amazing.

Q. Obviously you transferred out. Oklahoma has undergone some big changes especially in this offseason. From the outside looking in -- you have your inside knowledge -- what do you expect from them this year? I know you don't know the quarterback, necessarily, but just the newness there.

BRENEN THOMPSON: I expect great things from them. Nothing but respect for Coach Venables and the entire staff. They treated me with utmost respect. I enjoyed my time there. Definitely think they have a good squad. Wish them nothing but the best this year.

Q. What is the process for the team and players to get to know each other at a level where you can perform to your maximum capacity when there are guys like you coming in and others like and freshmen starting, and just in general a lot of moving pieces. What is that process like?

BRENEN THOMPSON: I think it all starts in the locker room. And then going from the locker room, it all starts on the field. When we're out there and it's 100 degrees, and we're all sweating and dying during workouts, you really have to lean on a brother.

And then obviously off the field as well, getting to know them as a person, not just a player is huge. Not everyone is the same on the field as they are off the field.

Isaac has this aggressiveness and this passion on the field, but off the field, he's just this outgoing guy that's just down to earth.

So just getting to know each and every player so I can help lead each and every player a little differently. I don't think you, as a leader, I don't think you can lead everybody the same way. I think everybody requires something different.

So just learning off the field, whether that's we're go fishing, we're going hunting, we're going -- hanging out in the backyard, smoking some ribs -- whatever that is to just get closer together as a person and brother, it's going to help me on the field as well, whenever we're on third-and-2, and I gotta count on that man to make that block or that catch, whatever it is, I have the utmost trust in him to do that.

Q. As part of Oklahoma, you had a pretty thrilling match-up with Mizzou last year. Obviously a different team now, but what do you expect from that match-up this year?

BRENEN THOMPSON: I expect it to be competitive. Obviously wish nothing but the best, and I expect it to be a good game.