Veteran quarterback Casey Thompson is transferring to Oklahoma for his seventh year of collegiate eligibility, he announced Thursday. This will be the fourth team in the past four years for Thompson, who should be a very familiar name for Sooners fans.
Casey's father, Charles Thompson was a starting quarterback at Oklahoma under College Football Hall of Fame coach Barry Switzer. The Sooners battled for his services during the 2018 recruiting cycle when Thompson was a three-star prospect out of Newcastle (Oklahoma) High School, though he ultimately signed with top rival Texas. As a college player, Thompson has collected starts against the Sooners for two of their top rivals in the Longhorns and at Nebraska.
In two games against the Sooners -- both losses -- he threw for 517 yards and six touchdowns.
As a seventh year of eligibility might suggest, Thompson has taken a long and winding path to Norman. He redshirted in his first year at Texas and then played in seven games from 2019-20, with the 2020 not counting against his eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Texas coach Tom Herman was fired in Jan. 2021 but Thompson stuck around and eventually took the starting job under new coach Steve Sarkisian. He had a 4-6 record as the starter during the 2021 season.
Leading up to the 2022 season, Texas received a commitment from Ohio State transfer Quinn Ewers, which led to Thompson testing his own luck in the portal. He ended up at Nebraska, battling through injuries and the midseason firing of coach Scott Frost to start 10 games for the Huskers.
Thompson once again entered the portal at season's end and followed Herman to Florida Atlantic. His time with the Owls was rather brief, as he suffered an ACL tear just three games into the year. That did allow him to seek a medical hardship waiver, which was granted by the NCAA, prompting a return for a seventh season.
Experience for a young QB room
Oklahoma knows who its starter will be after the loss of Dillon Gabriel, who transferred to Oregon, but Thompson isn't in that conversation. The Sooners are clearly investing in former five-star prospect Jackson Arnold, who played in seven games as a freshman in 2023 and got his first career start in Oklahoma's Alamo Bowl showdown against Arizona.
At worst, though, Thompson provides a veteran presence for Arnold to lean on and some depth in a quarterback room that seriously needs it. On top of Gabriel, the Sooners lost backup Davis Beville to the transfer portal. That left them with Arnold and a pair of 2024 signees in Michael Hawkins and Brendan Zurbrugg as the only scholarship arms on the roster.
Given his wealth of experience, Thompson could step up in a pinch. He's thrown for 5,338 yards and 52 touchdowns and boasts a 152.4 passer rating for his career. Oklahoma could do much worse as far as emergency options go.
