Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
There’s not a day that goes by that Brent Thompson doesn’t miss coaching football. It’s been three years since the former The Citadel head coach was walking the sidelines at Johnson Hagood Stadium, but his competitive fire hasn’t diminished one bit. “That hunger, that drive is still there, I miss football every day,” said Thompson, who spent more than two decades coaching football at the collegiate level. “I miss the competition. I miss the physicality of the game, building a team, building a program, building a system and watching whatever players I was coaching at the time just line up and beat the guy in front of them.” Thompson, 49, has spent the last couple of years channeling that energy into a different arena— as business entrepreneur. Thompson, who spent seven years as The Citadel’s head coach from 2016-22, invested in a Whit's Frozen Custard franchise that he and his brother opened up on James Island in the winter of 2023. Whit's Frozen Custard has nearly 100 locations in 11 states from Michigan to Florida. Thompson opened up his second shop in the West Ashley Shopping Center earlier this summer. “It was never my intent to run the stores when I first invested in it,” Thompson said. “Things just worked out that way.” And while the measure of success isn’t wins and losses anymore, there’s still a game plan that Thompson has to follow and people that he’s accountable to. “I was always interested in running my own business and as I’ve found out there are a lot of similarities in coaching and running a business,” he said. “You have people to answer to, your customers and the stake holders, and there are deadlines you have to meet. “Winning and losing is being able to pay the bills. That has been my scoreboard since we’ve opened the first store on James Island. You have a good day, that’s a win. If the weather’s bad or a machine breaks down, that’s probably a loss that day, but you get up in the morning and do it again.” Getting the shop ready for the weekend rush is a lot like football practices during the week as a team prepares for the game on Saturday. “The weekend is our busiest time, so we have to gear up for that during the week,” Thompson said. “There’s a lot of preparation involved." When Thompson’s contract wasn’t renewed after the 2022 season, the former Norwich University defensive back didn’t know what to do with himself. “I was driving myself and my wife crazy,” Thompson said with a chuckle. Thompson answered an ad to become a caddy out at Kiawah Island that winter. “It was out of boredom to be honest,” said Thompson, who carries an 18 handicap. “It was way out of my comfort zone. I think I was the oldest guy at that first meeting, but the caddy master thought I’d be good at it and he talked me into doing it." In July 2023, Thompson got a call from his old boss Mike Houston, who led the Bulldogs to the 2015 Southern Conference title, at East Carolina. Houston hired his former offensive coordinator as the Pirates’ recruiting operations coordinator. “It was a chance to learn a new offensive system and work again with some of the guys I’d worked with before on staff,” Thompson said. “I felt like I got kind of pigeonholed with the triple offense, and I hoped that this might lead to another coaching job.” Thompson went through the interview process after the Pirates’ season was over and nearly took a head coaching job at a high school in Maryland. “It just didn’t feel right,” he said. “It wasn't the right fit. My parents were living on Seabrook, my wife got a job in town and I wanted to stay.” Thompson has no hard feelings towards The Citadel and still remains a fan, watching as many games as he can when he’s not dishing out custard. “There are still a lot of players that I either recruited or coached that are on the team,” said Thompson, who led the Bulldogs to the 2016 Southern Conference title and FCS playoffs. “A lot of our customers went to The Citadel and I enjoy seeing them.” Business has been steady at the James Island location, which made opening up a second store in West Ashley a no brainer for Thompson. “We’ve got a great location in West Ashley, it’s near our house, so it seemed like the next logical step for expanding the business,” he said. Still, when the weather turns cool and the leaves begin to change, Thompson is itching to get back on the football field. Would he coach again? “Absolutely, in a second if it was the right situation,” he said.
