Skylar Thompson’s new number has special meaning for him and K-State football history
Some of the best quarterbacks in Kansas State history have worn the No. 7 while playing football for the Wildcats, and Skylar Thompson will join them next season.
After sporting the No. 10 for the past five seasons, Thompson has decided to switch to a different number that has special meaning for both him and former K-State passers ahead of his final year in Manhattan.
It remains to be seen if a new number on his jersey will help him follow in the footsteps of the memorable quarterbacks that wore No. 7 before him, but it’s a connection he plans to take seriously as a “super senior” in 2021.
“I’m not going to say I am going to be Michael Bishop or be Collin Klein,” Thompson said in a video announcing his new number. “But I will say that I look up to them both and their legacies here at K-State. For me, I want to write my own legacy with No. 7. I am going to carry that number with a lot of pride and represent it the right way.”
Thompson feels like next season will be a special opportunity for him to do something special.
He decided to take advantage of temporary NCAA eligibility rules and return to K-State for an extra year after his season was cut short last year due to an upper-body injury that required surgery on his throwing arm.
K-State football coach Chris Klieman says Thompson is only now getting to the point of his rehab where he can resume football activities. But he is currently healthy enough to throw a Nerf ball on his own. Thompson will likely miss spring practice before returning to full-go status in the summer.
Klieman is looking forward to that time. Thompson’s return was welcome news for K-State’s offense.
“It’s huge,” Klieman said. “You have a guy that started an awful lot of games and that started an awful lot of big games and that has won big games. He is a guy that has been through the fire. He knows our system and is a great leader.”
Thompson remained involved with the K-State football team after he went down with his injury against Texas Tech last season. He has said that he missed playing alongside his teammates more than he possibly could have imagined.
That is one of the main reasons he decided to return to school. After he made that choice, he also opted to switch numbers to the one he wore in junior leagues and then as a high school quarterback at Fort Osage.
“The No. 7, to me, reminds me of being a little kid and loving the game of football,” Thompson said. “I was introduced to this game when I was little and fell in love with it. It reminds of where I came from and how much I have grown and how much I have accomplished.”
He hopes to take another step next season with a new number.
“I have always thought about changing back to No. 7,” Thompson said, “and after putting a lot of thought into it and talking to my family I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to go back to what I know and the number that I love.”