One Last Time, After a Lot of History, Oklahoma Crosses Paths With Casey Thompson

He almost played for the Sooners out of high school, enrolled at OU while he was at Texas, torched the Sooners in Dallas, and considered transferring there last winter.

NORMAN — Oklahoma wanted Casey Thompson.

Well, now the Sooners get him — again.

OK, that play on words entails two entirely different contexts.

But the fact remains, Thompson is a good enough quarterback that Oklahoma coach Brent Venables wanted him to transfer from Texas to OU, and that he’s good enough to have strafed the Sooners for 388 yards and five touchdowns in last year’s Red River Rivalry, and he’s good enough to lead a Nebraska offense that averages 289 yards per game through the air (33rd nationally) and is coming off a 23-of-34, 318-yard, one-TD, zero-INT game last week against Georgia Southern.

“Casey’s doing a great job,” Venables said. “I hated it (when he didn’t come to OU). We tried to get him here in the offseason and thought we might have an opportunity. I know he considered us. But I think he saw a great opportunity there, a unique opportunity. Happy for him.“

Thompson began his career at Texas and won the starting job in 2021, but then entered the transfer portal on Dec. 17.

Lincoln Riley walked out on OU on Nov. 28, so the Sooners needed an experienced quarterback.

They waited patiently on Caleb Williams to decide whether he’d come back to OU or not, and when Williams announced on Jan. 3 he would enter the portal, offensive coordinator offered the job to Dillon Gabriel, who had been committed to UCLA but then flipped to OU on the same day Williams portaled out.

Thompson had been interested in OU — for the second time — but ultimately committed to the Huskers on Jan. 7.

“I was looking for an opportunity at the quarterback spot,” Thompson said in March. “I was looking for a great offense, a good offensive line in the research that I did. Honestly, it was just film study just kind of trying to watch and see what teams around the country have potential and where the good receivers are."

He had been eager to play for Riley but didn’t get the offer out of Newcastle High School in a manner that suited his timing. His dad said last year he had been given the opportunity to commit, but chose to wait and then watched as Riley’s offer instead went to Cameron Rising. Both QBs ended up choosing Texas, and both QBs ultimately left the Longhorns.

Casey Thompson at Texas

Scott Wachter / USA TODAY Sports

Thompson, who began his high school career at Southmoore before transferring to Newcastle as a senior, played three years at Texas and last year took over the starting job from Hudson Card after just two games. But inconsistencies and injuries in Austin forced Thompson in and out of the lineup, and he ended up throwing for 2,113 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Thompson hung 303 yards and five TDs on Texas Tech, 388 yards and five TDs on OU, and 358 yards and six TDs on Kansas.

In the previous year’s season finale, he came off the bench and went 8-of-10 for 170 yards with four TDs and no INTs in the bowl game against Colorado.

Thompson said after last week’s 45-42 loss to Georgia Southern that his experience in the Big 12 helped him keep the game close as the Husker defense gave up a school record 642 yards.

“In the Big 12 last year I was in a lot of shootouts — Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Baylor,” Thompson said. “I mean there’s a lot of shootouts I played in. So if anything, it gave me a little bit of comfort and peace knowing I’ve been in situations before and the experience helps a lot.”

Thompson’s dad Charles Thompson, from Lawton, OK, is both famous and infamous in Sooner lore, the dynamite freshmen phenom who operated the wishbone with pure brilliance, the Sports Illustrated cover model in an orange prison jumpsuit. And his big brother Kendal was originally a Sooner QB as well, before transferring to Utah.

Casey wanted to be a Sooner, too, Charles Thompson told AllSooners before last year’s OU-Texas game.

In fact, Charles said, Casey actually enrolled at OU in 2021 and intended to transfer there. But his dad encouraged him to reaffirm his commitment to Texas and try to win the job when Sam Ehlinger left.

“I still sort of felt like there was something pulling Casey to choose the University of Texas in the beginning,” Charles told AllSooners last year. “I still think there was something, some unfinished business there.

“And so we decided to take the philosophy of, ‘Let's just take it week by week, you know, one game at a time,’ and we looked up and, you know, two games into the season they were calling upon him in the Arkansas game and, of course, things changed.”

Now, again, Casey Thompson is lining up to play against his dad’s old school.

Casey Thompson at Nebraska 

Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

“They’re averaging 36 points per game,” said OU defensive coordinator Ted Roof. “They’re moving the ball both running and throwing and obviously he’s a mobile quarterback. He extends plays with his feet and his legs and we have a lot of respect for him and we know that it’s gonna be a challenge.”

“He’s always been great,” OU cornerback Jaden Davis said. “He’s been consistent. He looks comfortable. So I just like that about him, and I really give him props for what he’s been doing at his time at Nebraska. I’m just excited for the challenge.”

“We know he's a talented dude,” said OU defensive end Ethan Downs. “He loves to throw while he's scrambling. You know, he's a smart guy. He’s fast. We played a quarterback just like him last week. So we know what to expect. Watching the film on him. And we’re prepared.”

“He's a really solid ballplayer,” said OU defensive end Reggie Grimes. “Credit where credit is due. He’s athletic, He can throw the ball. He can also run, too. So it's really just one of those things of understanding the kind of guy we're about to go up against and respecting that, but trying to contain that.”

So far this year, Thompson has thrown for 866 yards and four touchdowns with four rushing TDs. His “Johnny Football” routine against Northwestern, where he escaped the pocket, ran to the sideline, pirouetted, ran backward and flung a deep ball to a wide open receiver, showed what a handful he can be for any defense.

“Casey’s done a great job,” Venables said. “Again, he can improvise. He can extend plays. He’s done a great job. He’s made some plays downfield where it looked like he was dead to rights. He’s a winner. He’s been a winner his whole life.

“Wonderful family. Casey’s an amazing young man. Just a great family. So really pulling for him. Except this week.”