New England Patriots wide receiver Aaron Dobson is a favorite son of Dunbar, South Charleston High and Marshall.
John Thornton, who played 10 years in the NFL, is a favorite son of WVU's football program.
And guess what?
These days, the latter has turned into an uncle of sorts for the former.
Perhaps a Thornton Facebook post can make you understand quickly. On Tuesday, the former Mountaineer defensive lineman posted an article written by ESPN's Mike Reiss that carried the following headline: "WR Aaron Dobson plays arguably his best game as a Patriot"
While that may not be true (Dobson once had five catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013), the wideout's performance might have been his most important. We'll get to that in a moment.
See, the message from Thornton that accompanied the post was this: Congrats to client Aaron Dobson.
Yes, these days Thornton, the former two-time All-Big East honoree, is an NFL agent. Dobson is teamed with Thornton and, full-time, Ike Conner and a3 Athletics. Thornton's parent company is Octagon Sports.
"I played 10 years total in the NFL," Thornton said. "My last game was in 2008 and I retired in May of 2009. I contemplated going back because I had a deal in place with Detroit, but backed out. I have a family in Cincinnati and it would have been hard to move up there. I thought I wanted to do something else anyway."
As one could imagine, after 10 years in the NFL, Thornton had financial flexibility.
"I had fun," Thornton said. "I had a good time. And the time flew. I played for some good coaches that didn't get fired [like Jeff Fisher at Tennessee and Marvin Lewis at Cincinnati]. With stability you tend to have a longer career. It worked out well."
Before, it seems, and after the NFL playing days.
"My whole career I was a mentor," Thornton said. "Younger players would ask all kinds of questions. Coaches would bring the kids in, point at me and say 'Do what he does.' I was like an uncle."
So after his playing days, Thornton started to partner with established agents. Finally, he got his license and partnered with Charles Fisher, another ex-WVU standout who was a second-round NFL draft pick. The former defensive back was taken by the Bengals in the 1999 draft but tore all three major ligaments in his knee and never returned. Fisher did some scouting for Seattle before starting Jokbiz agency.
As with many successful small businesses, though, Jokbiz was swallowed up by the larger Octagon Sports, which boasts clients like Steph Curry, Michael Phelps and Apolo Ohno. "It fit what we do," Thornton said. "Only on a larger scale."
Thornton and Octagon have former Mountaineers like Mario Alford, now with the Bengals, and Chris Neild, a free agent. ("Mario is just getting started," Thornton said. "He's a different guy because he's a small receiver. He has good speed though and production. Some questioned if he could pick up the NFL offense, but he's a good fit in Cincinnati. The coaches like him and I've been right there to talk to him through camp. He's been inactive for the first two weeks, but I can see him being activated around mid-season." Forty-six of each team's 53 roster players dress for each game.)
Other clients of Thornton include Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and players Michael Johnson and Pat Sims, St. Louis Ram Isaiah Pead and Denver Bronco Darius Kilgo. Former clients were Arizona's Frostee Rucker and former Pitt standout Jon Baldwin.
Thornton also works with ex-WVU quarterback Geno Smith and Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports as well as Dobson and a3.
Thornton said he hooked up with Dobson and parents Bobby and Angie through a fraternity brother.
"We linked up and went down [to Charleston] and a month later Bobby said 'We want to work with you,' " Thornton said.
That work with Dobson has been a little dicey lately though. A 2013 second-round NFL pick of New England, the receiver had nine starts as a rookie and caught 37 passes for 519 yards and four touchdowns.
Then came the injuries. In Week 12 of 2013, Dobson suffered a foot injury and missed three games. He made an appearance in the AFC Championship versus Denver, but had a screw inserted in his foot in the offseason. He missed the 2014 preseason completely and spent last season on and off the active roster. Finally, in Week 13, Dobson got back on the field - and pulled a hamstring.
Meanwhile, Brandon LaFell was growing at the X receiver spot, and New England's roster also has names like Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman. In the first game of this year, Dobson had one catch for 9 yards.
Finally, though, the sea seemed to part for the former South Charleston High standout. LaFell was injured. Then, last week against the Buffalo Bills, Dobson had seven catches for 87 yards. The number of catches tied a career high. He also played 70 of the team's 86 offensive snaps.
"Aaron Dobson stepped up," said Patriot QB Tom Brady.
Insert Team Dobson's big sigh of relief here.
"He's talented, that's the thing," Thornton said of Dobson. "He's had some unlucky breaks. The Patriots like him though. He's a good man, a good family man and teams appreciate that."
Thornton echoed sentiments expressed recently by New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who said Dobson has to show consistency and dependability.
"I'm happy for Aaron though," Thornton said. "New England is a tough place to play. You have a demanding quarterback and it's a complex system. You just have to be consistent and available."
Overall? Uncle John is pleased.
"Good kid," Thornton said. "I've really enjoyed working with him and his family."