The TJ Thorpe Show: Recent Episodes
Capitol Broadcasting Company
Former college & professional football player T.J. Thorpe, a native of Durham, N.C., talks with former high school football players from North Carolina who have gone on to play collegiately and professionally or are contributing to the game in other ways, offering insight into their football journey and advice for current high school football players hoping to make the most of their football careers. T.J. will also talk with current high school football players about their experiences, recruitment, goals, and more.
T.J. Thorpe played high school football at Jordan High School in Durham, N.C., graduating in 2011. As a senior, T.J. made the ESPNU 150 list as the No. 88 overall prospect in the country and the No. 11 athlete in the Class of 2011. Rivals.com rated him as the No. 15 wide receiver in the country and the sixth best prospect in North Carolina. After his senior season, T.J. played in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, an all-star game that puts North Carolina's best senior high school football players up against their counterparts in South Carolina. To this day, T.J. holds the Jordan High School career record for receiving yards with 2,423, and the N.C. High School Athletic Association single-season record for kick returns for touchdowns at 5.
After high school, T.J. was a scholarship player at UNC for coaches Butch Davis and Larry Fedora. In 2011, he was a finalist for the Johnny Rodgers Award, recognizing the nation's top returner, and earned All-ACC Honorable Mention honors. T.J. graduated from UNC with a degree in exercise science and played one season at UVA as a graduate student, where he earned his Master's degree.
T.J. entered the NFL in 2016 where he spent time with the then-Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles. He also played in the Canadien Football League.
The T.J. Thorpe Show is part of the Capitol Broadcasting Podcast Network.
In this week's episode of "The T.J. Thorpe Show," Tarboro native and UNC alum Shaun Draughn talks to T.J. about his football career, which got started in a small town in eastern North Carolina. He played high school football for the Tarboro Vikings, a dynasty in North Carolina, before accepting one of just two college offers -- from UNC. After seven years in the NFL and 21 different moves, Draughn has learned a lot about the sport, and many of the lessons he learned has helped him become a better father and husband, and impacts his decisions he now makes as a business man who is focused on real estate in the Triangle area of North Carolina.
On this episode of The TJ Thorpe Show, TJ talks to a NC State commit and a UNC commit as the rivalry takes center stage. First, TJ goes to Heritage High School in Wake Forest where he interviews quarterback Lex Thomas, the younger brother of NC State players Thayer and Drake Thomas, who has committed to the Wolfpack. Lex shows his football IQ and then hits the field to throw the football to TJ -- and TJ liked what he saw as a wide receiver. Then, TJ heads to Cary to talk to Panther Creek High School edge rusher Tyler Thompson who recently committed to UNC. Tyler explains how his competitive drive gives him an advantage, shares his favorite moves to get to the quarterback, and throws some trash talk back at TJ.
In this week's episode of The T.J. Thorpe Show, Minnesota Vikings cornerback Tye Smith explains how he went from a high school senior with a single offer to a NFL veteran. Smith shares plans for his new foundation and gives advice for high school athletes who may have some self-doubt and thinking about giving up. Later, T.J. talks to Noah Rogers, a wide receiver at Rolesville High School who committed to Ohio State last week. Rogers is the No. 1 player in North Carolina from the Class of 2023. Rogers talks about why he picked Ohio State, what his expectations are for his senior year, his best attributes, and more.
On this special edition of The T.J. Thorpe Show, T.J. goes back to his football playing days and goes through a workout with his personal trainer Russell Dudley, who trained T.J. from high school through the pros. T.J. gets his insight into what separates great athletes from the rest.
In this episode of "The TJ Thorpe Show," TJ talks to his former high school teammate Nick Drew, who went from an undersized high school defensive back to a key contributor at Campbell University. He thought he wanted to be a doctor, but after helping his coaches on the sideline during a game at Campbell, he discovered coaching was his calling. Now, still in his 20s, he's an associate head coach at Cardinal Gibbons and has coached in three state championships, winning one of them. Drew talks to TJ about his football journey from player to coach, and things he thinks high school players need to know today. Later, TJ talks to Southern Durham rising senior Jaybron Harvey, a four-star edge rusher (who also thinks he's a wide receiver) about what makes him so effective on defense. He walks TJ through his moves and how he reads the offense, and talks about his recruitment.
In this episode of "The T.J. Thorpe Show," Denver Broncos wide receiver Kendall Hinton joins T.J. to talk about his path to the NFL. Before he was the emergency quarterback on a day's notice in 2020, Hinton was a practice team wide receiver for the Broncos. His experience at quarterback in college at Wake Forest University made him the pick for the Broncos when all of their quarterbacks were quarantined due to COVID-19. His appearance at quarterback even earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hinton played high school football at Southern Durham High School where he quarterbacked the Spartans to a 3AA state championship -- the first in school history. T.J. is also joined by Cardinal Gibbons High School quarterback Connor Clark, a rising senior who quarterbacked his team to the 4A state championship last fall. Clark is a 6-foot-6 quarterback who is looking for an opportunity to play in college. But he's also focused on his future outside of football. During the pandemic, Clark and his younger brother started a business that because very successful -- so successful they donated $25,000 to a local hospital, put money aside for their college tuition and their younger sister's tuition, and they pay for their own private school tuition at Cardinal Gibbons.
In the debut episode of The T.J. Thorpe Show, T.J. interviews Weddington High School graduate & former Duke quarterback Anthony Boone and Northern Guilford graduate & former Cal and Redskins wide receiver Maurice Harris about how the two former players are helping high school football players realize their football dreams. They also share insight into lessons high school players should learn if they want to make it to the highest levels of football. T.J. then heads to Cabarrus County to talk to Hickory Ridge wide receiver Christian Hamilton. The uncommitted receiver is a 4-star player and ranked the No. 3 player in North Carolina from the Class of 2023. T.J. learns what makes Hamilton a good receiver, how his football career has brought him to where he is today, and he learns Hamilton's celebration dance.
Former college & professional football player T.J. Thorpe, a native of Durham, N.C., talks with former high school football players from North Carolina who have gone on to play collegiately and professionally or are contributing to the game in other ways, offering insight into their football journey and advice for current high school football players hoping to make the most of their football careers. T.J. will also talk with current high school football players about their experiences, recruitment, goals, and more. T.J. Thorpe played high school football at Jordan High School in Durham, N.C., graduating in 2011. As a senior, T.J. made the ESPNU 150 list as the No. 88 overall prospect in the country and the No. 11 athlete in the Class of 2011. Rivals.com rated him as the No. 15 wide receiver in the country and the sixth best prospect in North Carolina. After his senior season, T.J. played in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, an all-star game that puts North Carolina's best senior high school football players up against their counterparts in South Carolina. To this day, T.J. holds the Jordan High School career record for receiving yards with 2,423, and the N.C. High School Athletic Association single-season record for kick returns for touchdowns at 5. After high school, T.J. was a scholarship player at UNC for coaches Butch Davis and Larry Fedora. In 2011, he was a finalist for the Johnny Rodgers Award, recognizing the nation's top returner, and earned All-ACC Honorable Mention honors. T.J. graduated from UNC with a degree in exercise science and played one season at UVA as a graduate student, where he earned his Master's degree. T.J. entered the NFL in 2016 where he spent time with the then-Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles. He also played in the Canadien Football League. The T.J. Thorpe Show is part of the Capitol Broadcasting Podcast Network.