Making up ground: John Thompson leads Kaplan less than a month after taking job
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
There are no chapters dedicated to timing in the head coach’s handbook.
Some opportunities arise in the weeks and months following a season when it’s commonplace for coaches to make moves for other jobs. Other positions become available when schools search for a more successful alternative to their previous coach.
In the case of career assistant John Thompson, the native of Abbeville who was part of Vermilion Catholic’s Division IV select state championship staff in 2024, was presented with a narrow window when Kaplan High found itself in the market for a head coach when it chose not to retain the services of Stephen “Tank” Lotief .
A week later, with six candidates vying for the position, Kaplan hired Thompson on Aug. 10 to become head coach of the Pirates, who host Ascension Episcopal on Friday at 7 p.m. to open the season.
“This situation was a little different,” Thompson said of his first head coaching position. “It happened where they wanted me, I wanted to be there, and we made it happen.”
Thompson, 44, has covered plenty of ground in bringing himself up to speed with Kaplan’s personnel, getting to know the coaching staff, and putting his thumbprint on the program in a short amount of time.
“Everybody’s on the same page from behind the 8-ball,” he said. “We started extremely late. It’s imperative that we’re all locked in at practice, coaches and players alike. We’re still trying to figure out our offense and defense, and we’re still figuring out the players and who can play where.
“We make changes often,” he said. “If I’m going to be here, I’m going to put in my stuff and go from there. For the first year, the players have bought in. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Kaplan had been a consistent winner under Lotief, who had won a total of 100 games over two different stints totaling 12 years. The Pirates, 8-3 with a first-round Division III non-select exit a year ago, enjoyed a run of three straight state semifinal appearances (2016-18) under Lotief.
“We’re trying to get them over that hump and to the next level,” Thompson said. “This is a program that’s used to winning with great records. We’re just trying to get it to the next level, and God willing, we will.
Thompson’s accustomed to later-than-usual arrivals for new jobs. It hasn’t deterred him from carving a niche in coaching defensive linemen and getting teams into peak condition with his strength and conditioning background.
Thompson signed with coach Lou Holtz at South Carolina following a standout career at Vermilion Catholic. He was part of a team that defeated Ohio State in the Outback Bowl before transferring to UL-Monroe for three years, earning second team All-Sun Belt Conference honors, before finishing his career at Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn., where he was twice named an NAIA All-American.
Thompson, who was invited to the Cleveland Browns’ minicamp, remained at his alma mater as linebackers coach and serving as the special team’s coordinator and heading up strength and conditioning.
He became the strength and conditioning coach at Arkansas State in July and was the associate strength and conditioning coach at Ole Miss, where he also worked with the defensive line.
“I’m part of Pete Jenkins’ (former college and NFL defensive coach) tree,” said Thompson, who set the single-season record at Lambuth for sacks. “Manny Michel was my D-line coach in college. I had an idea of what it would take, but not as the head man.”
Thompson went back to Memphis and got into high school coaching, two years at St. George’s High School, with another three seasons at Christian Brothers. That set the stage for a return to his native Abbeville and joining the coaching staff of Kevin Fuqua at Vermilion Catholic for two years.
Broc Prejean, a former VC standout, took over the Eagles six years ago and has guided the program to a 55-7 record, a state runner-up finish in 2023, and last year’s state championship – a 33-21 win over Ouachita Christian.
Thompson, also the school’s basketball coach who led VC to the District 6-1A championship and 16-4 record, had designs on beginning his eighth season as the defensive line coach and strength and conditioning coach until fate intervened.
“I didn’t come to be a gap filler, I came here to make a home,” Thompson said. “I’m from Vermilion Parish and live in Abbeville. I didn’t want to leave the area. The opportunity came open and I jumped on it. I’m not trying to be a band-aid. I’m trying to solve an issue, and let’s get it going.”
Kaplan had deep roots with the Wing-T offense that began in the late 1980s under Gerald Laughlin, continued with Craig Manuel, and Lotief.
Thompson said the Pirates were in the early stages of adding elements of the spread, operating out of the shotgun and still retaining the ability to run the Wing-T.
Since his arrival, Thompson has tried to expedite that process, turning over the offense to Dylan Briggs and former Kaplan standout and current principal Shay Herpin, who will coach quarterbacks.
Thompson said he will handle the team’s defense with plans of eventually handing over the reins to Cody Mire.
“We want to open it up,” Thompson said. “We’re going to keep the wing because it’s exotic. Not many people run it, not many people see it and playing defense against it is hard. You can keep the wing in there and still run it from the shotgun formation.
“They already started trying to do this in the spring,” Thompson said. “(Former Kaplan offensive coordinator) Daniel Lotief was trying to put it in, so they had an idea. We’ve come in and put our stamp on it and rolled with. I don’t care what we run as long as we’ve got the guys that can do it.”
The first four weeks on the job have been a crash course into becoming a head coach that Thompson said has been rewarding.
“We’re real tight, we’ve bonded,” he said of the team. “They’ve bought into everything I’ve asked. There’s no complaining. They come in and ask questions. They want to learn, they want to know. They’re not afraid to get better. It’s been nothing but a blessing. It’s been a great transition for me personally, coming from VC to Kaplan.
“I’ve been pleased and surprised with how our kids have reacted and accepted it,” he said. “I’ve had nothing but ‘yes sirs’ and ‘no sirs’. These guys want to win. They want to work hard.”
Kaplan’s home field – Ed Douglas Memorial Stadium – experienced a cosmetic upgrade during the offseason.
The Pirates will no longer play on natural grass, instead getting the opportunity to play on an artificial turf field that was completed in time for last week’s jamboree.
“It’s one of the best turfs I’ve been on,” Thompson said. “They did a great job.”
Thompson felt his team benefitted from its familiarity with the Wing-T in its scrimmage against Eunice who runs the offense.
“The kids were still playing slow because they weren’t used to what we were doing defensively or offensively,” he said. “It was a big jump to the jamboree, and we need to make another jump because teams are going to be different.”
Kaplan took the next step in its evolution under Thompson in last week’s 23-14 win over Rayne.
The Pirates face a similar challenge of continuing to take the steps necessary in becoming a complete team with consecutive home games with Ascension Episcopal and Berwick to begin the season.
“Ascension will be a different test, and we have to make sure everyone has the right assignments,” Thompson said. “They have to be locked in on who they have and let it fall into play. Hopefully, we’ll make another big jump.”
Kaplan’s preparation for the new season remains an ongoing test of Thompson’s knowledge of his own team. Until he can fully grasp the names of all of his players, he’s quick to call out the jersey numbers that have flashed during a month’s worth of practices, coupled with a scrimmage and jamboree.
“I’m still learning them,” he said. “It’s just taking me a while.”
Two decades have gone by since he was first an assistant at Lambuth coaching, linebackers, special teams, and leading the strength and conditioning program. His previous coaching experiences on both the college and high school levels, including the last seven at Vermilion Catholic, have prepared him for the moment when he leads his first team onto the field for their first game.
“It will be a good set of nerves,” he said. “As long as we have a great week of practice, know where everybody’s going. Game prep – the day of – it’s more about the kids. The hay’s in the barn by Thursday, and Friday’s it’s all about the guys. I want to make sure they’re confident and positive and know what to do to go out and get us a win.”
Featured Image Courtesy of Coach John Thompson