MELBOURNE, Fla. — Summer is a chance for high school athletes to get better. For most schools’ football teams, they have just begun their summer training. One of those players looking to improve is Eau Gallie High School's offensive lineman Sandman Thompson.

"It feels good," said Thompson, a rising junior at the Melbourne high school. "It’s been a minute since I have been in here. I like doing this, getting ready for fall, getting better."

Just before all the stretching, jumping and training started, Thompson made his selection of where he wants to play college football. On May 26, he verbally committed to the University of Oregon.

"The relationship with (offensive line coach) Coach Terry is unmatched," he said. "Coach Terry is a nice, genuine, relatable guy so I feel Oregon is a fit for me, and that was always my dream school."

He committed despite not visiting the campus yet. Thompson plans to do that on July 27, but he didn’t want to wait to make his commitment.

"Because I wanted to make sure I have a spot and a home before my senior season, which me being a (bit) shorter, it might have been token, so I wanted to make sure I got me a spot secured," he said.

He moved from right tackle to center last year. It's a move he loved because of the responsibility of that position. 

"As a center, you have to make sure the whole line knows what it is doing, not just you," Thompson said. "You have to make the right calls and make the right reads and make sure everyone is on the same pages as you, pretty much the quarterback of the O-line."

Everyone calls him Sandman, which is a nickname. It’s a name that he received from a family member when he was growing up.

"I like it better than my first name," he said. "My auntie, she gave it to me when I was a young kid because I used to play in the sand a lot."

Whether it’s the sand, dirt or grass, the work in the summer helps in the fall. That work will come to fruition when Sandman and his teammates start the 2023 season on Aug. 25.