A pair of transfer portal cornerbacks will be part of what is expected to be a busy recruiting weekend at UAB. Incarnate Word cornerbacks Brian Mayes and Donte Thompson will be among the visitors.
As part of the NCAA recruiting calendar, this weekend is set up for unsigned midyear transfers from junior college and the transfer portal to take an official visit before the spring semester begins. Classes begin on many campuses, including UAB, next week. At UAB, classes start on Monday.
The Blazers are expected to host a large number of recruits this weekend.
Mayes, a 6-foot-1, 183-pounder from Houston, started for Incarnate Word as a redshirt freshman. He started for a team that was 10-1 in the regular season, won a pair of NCAA FCS playoff games and dropped a 35-32 decision at North Dakota State in the playoff semifinals. Mayes had 48 tackles, an interception and 13 pass breakups on the season.
Heading into this weekend’s visit, Mayes said he is “heavily leaning toward UAB.” He said he’d had conversations with coaches from Memphis, FAU and Louisiana Tech since entering the portal but this will be his first visit.
“I want to look at the campus, housing, nutrition, see how that’s set up, the weight room,” Mayes said. “That’s where I spend most of my time at. I want to build a good relationship with the strength coach.”
Mayes said he was originally committed to the University of Texas at San Antonio after graduating high school but could not take official visits.
“I came out of high school after Covid,” Mayes said. “I was originally committed to UTSA. They didn’t have enough money to bring in the freshman class, and I had to grayshirt. I wasn’t about to grayshirt. I wanted to play that fall.”
He lined up on one side during the fall, and Thompson, a 5-foot-11,175-pound former junior college cornerback, who played at West Florida High in Pensacola, was on the other. Thompson, who went to the same high school as UAB defensive lineman Fish McWilliams, was recruited by UAB while in high school.
This past season, Thompson had 37 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception and 18 pass breakups. Mayes said the two are hoping to play at the same school.
“We are talking about it, but whichever opportunity fits each one of us the best, that’s where we’ll go,” Mayes said. “We would definitely like to play together.”
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
