Brent Thompson hasn’t coached a snap in three years, but you can still hear the whistle in his voice.
The former Citadel head coach says there’s not a day he doesn’t miss the game. “That hunger, that drive is still there, I miss football every day,” he told the Post & Courier. And he wasn’t saying it wistfully — more like a man still wired for third-and-short.
But instead of calling plays, Thompson now dishes out scoops.
From the sideline to the service counter
After seven seasons leading the Bulldogs, Thompson stepped into an entirely new arena: entrepreneurship. He invested in a Whit’s Frozen Custard franchise and opened his first shop on James Island in winter 2023. This summer, he doubled down with a second location in the West Ashley Shopping Center.
Funny thing is, this wasn’t part of the plan. “It was never my intent to run the stores when I first invested in it,” he told the Post & Courier. “Things just worked out that way.”
And yet the parallels between coaching and custard come naturally to him.
Customers and stakeholders are now his players and administrators. The scoreboard? Profit and loss. “Winning and losing is being able to pay the bills,” he said. “You have a good day, that’s a win. If the weather’s bad or a machine breaks down, that’s probably a loss… but you get up in the morning and do it again.”
The weekly build-up to the weekend rush? Thompson says it feels like prepping for Saturday kickoffs. “The weekend is our busiest time, so we have to gear up for that during the week,” he said.
A restless coach in limbo
When his contract wasn’t renewed after the 2022 season, Thompson didn’t exactly drift into downtime. “I was driving myself and my wife crazy,” he admitted to the Post & Courier. In a move both humble and hilarious, he took a gig caddying at Kiawah Island — despite carrying an 18 handicap and being “the oldest guy” in the room at his first meeting.
Then came a call from his old boss, Mike Houston, who pulled him onto East Carolina’s staff as recruiting operations coordinator. It nearly sparked a full coaching comeback. Thompson even interviewed for a high school head coaching job in Maryland. But ultimately, “It wasn't the right fit,” he said. His family was here. His life was here.
Football wasn’t gone — just on standby.
Still a Bulldog at heart
Thompson remains close to the program he once led, still cheering on players he recruited and coached. Plenty of Citadel grads come through his stores, adding a little blue-and-white warmth to the custard case. And business is strong enough that the West Ashley expansion felt obvious. “It’s near our house, so it seemed like the next logical step,” he told the Post & Courier.
Still, when fall rolls in and the air turns crisp, the itch returns.
Would he coach again?
“Absolutely, in a second if it was the right situation,” he said.
The custard game might be sweet — but football is still the one that stirs his soul.
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