Auburn football’s communication’s staff didn’t pick the best day for Texas safety transfer Jerrin Thompson to meet with media members.

After taking his seat at a table with reporters on Tuesday, Thompson was a bit apologetic.

“My voice is kinda gone,” Thompson said after Auburn’s fifth practice of fall camp. “I just been getting after it. Energy.”

The development might’ve been the least-surprising news to come out of fall camp this far.

Back in February, shortly after Thompson had transferred in from Texas, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze had already gotten a pretty good handle on what Thompson would bring to the Tigers’ secondary.

“Love his energy. Love his knowledge of the game. He knows all three spots back there. He’s been a leader and he hasn’t been here long. He’s vocal,” Freeze said. “He’s played at a high level at a good program. I think he’s going to be really invaluable for us back there being able to play multiple positions and help lead us.”

Thompson has since gone on to cement himself as one of Auburn’s starters at safety and continues to lead an Auburn secondary that enters the year hurting for experience after sending four starters to the next level at the conclusion of last season.

“Very vocal guy. He’s going to talk to you every single play and make sure you know what you’ve got and make sure you know what the defense got,” Auburn cornerback Kayin Lee said of Thompson. “He’s just going to communicate until the whistle blows and he’s going to give it his all.”

Being an effective teacher and relentless communicator is something Thompson hangs his hat on.

“I take pride in the little things — lining my guys up, just getting to the ball and playing team defense. That’s one thing I take pride in is just team,” Thompson said in the spring. “It’s never about just what I can do — team success goes with player success.”

On Tuesday, Thompson admitted to reporters that the decision to leave his home state of Texas wasn’t one he took lightly.

However, he saw the move as one that would set him up for the future.

“I came because I wanted the coaches to develop me,” Thompson said, explicitly mentioning Auburn co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Charles Kelly. “Coach Kelly’s always been known for his defense and I just felt like I could come here and help guys.”

And for Thompson, so far helping guys in Auburn’s secondary has come from his mouth.

“His voice translates through the whole group. Well, you could say DBs, but really the whole team from the DB aspect,” Auburn cornerback Champ Anthony said of Thompson.

“We’re all learning how to do it now because he’s played four years, he’s played four years at a top program and just seeing how he moves and how he talks. Now we’re all learning how to talk and move like that. So even when he’s not on the field, we all talk and move the same way.”

Now, should Thompson losing his voice become a pattern?

He’s got a solution for that.

“More signals today,” Thompson said when asked about he overcame the challenge on Tuesday.