K-State expects Skylar Thompson back for Texas Bowl, but QB questions persist at LSU
Kansas State football fans can feel cautiously optimistic about Skylar Thompson starting at quarterback when the Wildcats take the field for the Texas Bowl. But mystery still clouds the most important position in football at LSU.
When asked which Tigers quarterback he expects to face next month at NRG Stadium in Houston, K-State coach Chris Klieman can do little more than shrug.
“It’s a great question,” he said earlier this week.
At least he has some confidence in Thomspon leading K-State’s offense for one final time as a “super senior” after he missed the final game of the regular season with an injury to his left ankle.
“He’s trending in the right direction,” Klieman said of Thompson. “He has practiced. We hope he doesn’t have any setbacks, and if he doesn’t then in all likelihood he will play. We’re excited about that. We still are a couple weeks away so I don’t want to (jinx anything) in case we have a setback or anything. But right now he’s trending in the right direction.”
Some senior quarterbacks with NFL aspirations would choose to “opt out” of a postseason game like this, and start preparing for the next chapter in their football lives. But that isn’t the way Thompson operates.
He has started 39 games for the Wildcats dating back to when he was a redshirt freshman in 2017, and he wants to end his college career on a high note.
His teammates are motivated to send him out with a victory.
“Absolutely, sending (Thompson) out with a big-time win would be huge for his legacy and everything that he’s done for the K-State nation and us as a family here inside the locker room in this building,” K-State running back Deuce Vaughn said. “He’s been somebody that has been like a rock for us.”
Thompson has thrown for 1,854 yards and nine touchdowns while playing in nine games this season. He played a part in six of K-State’s victories and helped the Wildcats become bowl eligible. But injuries prevented him from doing more.
He missed parts of three straight games early in the year with an injury to his right knee. Then, after he returned and played in seven straight games, he walked away from the final home game of his college career on crutches with a boot wrapped around his left food.
His recovery has been slow, so K-State is also preparing sophomore Will Howard to play against LSU. But Thompson is the preferred choice.
Much less is known about which quarterback will throw passes for LSU.
Max Johnson, who commanded the Tigers’ offense during the regular season, has transferred to Texas A&M. Backup Myles Brennan withdrew his name from the NCAA transfer portal after LSU hired Brian Kelly, but he is not expected to play in the Texas Bowl while he recovers from an injury. That leaves freshman Garrett Nussmeier as the team’s lone scholarship quarterback, but even his status is up in the air because the Tigers want to preserve his redshirt.
Nussmeier has already played in four games this season, which means he would only have three years of college eligibility remaining if he plays against K-State. LSU has submitted a waiver to the NCAA asking for permission to play Nussmeier to retain his redshirt status and play in the Texas Bowl, but it’s unclear if that will be granted.
If Nussmeier doesn’t suit up against K-State, LSU could reportedly turn to wide receiver Jontre Kirklin, a former three-star recruit and quarterback at the high school level. Or the Tigers could play a walk-on quarterback without much game experience.
The Wildcats will have many different looks to prepare for on defense.
“It makes it kind of difficult when you’re not really sure which players you’re going to play against,” K-State safety Russ Yeast said. “But you can just prepare for everybody and kind of look at what they did throughout the course of the season and try to be ready for everything.”