Amid the busiest week of the 2022 cycle for Boston College football recruiting, the Eagles added an FCS transfer who’s on the verge of a long-awaited arrival to the FBS.

Southern Illinois cornerback Jonathan “JT” Thompson II announced Friday afternoon that he is leaving the portal for BC, once again a hot spot for defensive backs.

Thompson II started all 10 games at corner in 2020 for the Salukis. The 6-foot, 180-pound Atlanta, Georgia, native piled up 32 total tackles and four pass break-ups, in addition to notching an interception in Southern Illinois’ playoff game against Weber State.

The previous season, as a junior, he saw action in all 12 games, starting the final four contests of the year. Thompson logged 39 total tackles, including eight against eventual national champion North Dakota State. He also tallied seven stops versus Youngstown State and registered three pass break-ups on the year.

Before he got to Southern Illinois, Thompson spent two seasons in JUCO at Highland Community College in Freeport, Illinois. His sophomore year, he earned NJCAA Second Team Academic All-American honors following a 27-tackle season, in which he also came down with one interception and forced a fumble.

Thompson II will join a promising Eagles secondary that welcomed former five-star recruit and 2018 ESPN Freshman All-American Jaiden Lars-Woodbey from FSU this offseason, as well as four-star true freshman CJ Burton.

Second-year Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley has placed an emphasis on restocking BC’s back end since taking over the program in December 2019. The 2021 recruiting class alone featured six defensive backs.

Last year, the Eagles allowed 245.5 yards per game through the air—an average of 40 yards fewer than the season prior—clocking out 82nd nationally and seventh in the ACC in pass defense.