Casey Thompson has played for Texas, Nebraska and FAU, but Oklahoma football is home
In the second quarter of Florida Atlantic’s 2023 game against Clemson, Casey Thompson went down after a hit from defensive end Cade Denhoff. Thompson was helped off the field with a torn ACL, sidelining him for the remainder of the season.
His dad, former Oklahoma quarterback Charles Thompson, found a silver lining and suggested the setback could be a blessing in disguise. If Casey could take advantage of a medical hardship waiver and be granted a seventh season of eligibility, maybe he’d have another shot to prove himself at the college level.
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“I was like, ‘Man, another year of college football?’” Casey remembers now. “Initially, I didn’t want to hear that, but as the season went on, I started to enjoy just life, and I got to reconnect with myself.”
Before the injury, FAU looked like Thompson’s final college stop. His career began in 2018 at Texas, where he redshirted as a freshman before rising to the starting role as a senior, leading the Longhorns to a 58-0 shutout in his first start and a 70-35 victory against Texas Tech the next game. But the Longhorns finished 5-7, and Quinn Ewers arrived as the program’s next big thing.
After earning his degree, Thompson transferred to Nebraska, where he spent one year as the Huskers’ starter before new coach Matt Rhule was hired and the sides mutually parted ways. All of this brought Thompson to his sixth season of college football at FAU, utilizing an extra year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thompson spent time with family and friends as he recovered from his injury. While back home in Oklahoma City watching the Bedlam rivalry game with his family, his future became clear.
“‘I’m going to OU,” Thompson told his family. “‘I’m going to get in the portal, I’m going to reach out to OU and I’m going to wait until they give an answer.’”
At first, there was hesitance. Would Thompson, who will turn 26 this fall, really want to transfer for a third time? Should he check out his options professionally instead? What kind of opportunity would he have with former five-star QB Jackson Arnold waiting in the wings for the starting job?
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