I remember reading/hearing comments when Thomkins committed (sorry, can't quote) - if he was healthy he wouldn't have gotten out of the south. He was the type of talent that the SEC builds on. An injury risk, but vast potential.
It seems odd, but in a way he's similar to Mo Washington (but for different reasons of course). Amazing talents with Sunday abilities, but there's an obvious red flag that kept certain schools away. Without the flag, they may not have even looked at us. The major positive Thompkins has, if the worse case happens and he gets re-injured he can still benefit the team from a character standpoint.