In 2022 FAU Football finished 5-7, showing Head Coach Tom Herman that changes needed to be made as the team transitions to the American Athletic Conference for the 2023 season.
One big pick up the Owls made is the signing of 24 year old quarterback Casey Thompson. Thompson is a fifth year quarterback with three seasons at Texas and one season at Nebraska.
Critics say that they do not have faith in Thompson. With FAU being his third college team these concerns may be valid, but I see this as a huge advantage for FAU.
With Thompson’s experience playing in The Big 12 and The Big 10 conferences, he will be a great leader for this team entering a highly competitive conference like the AAC.
A very similar situation occurred this past season with the James Madison University Dukes. The Dukes moved up from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Sun Belt Conference, and were led by former Temple and Colorado State quarterback Todd Centeio. The Dukes ended up winning the Sun Belt Conference in their first season and Centeio had a career season.
I believe this is very likely to occur in Boca Raton during the 2023 season.
Thompson is a 6 foot 195 pound quarterback out of Oklahoma City with a lengthy resume. With minimal snaps in his first two seasons, he picked up production in 2021 completing 63.2% of his 261 pass attempts for a total of 24 touchdowns. He passed for over 2,100 yards and finished the season with a 154.7 quarterback rating.
With a stacked quarterback room in Texas, Thompson tried his luck in the transfer portal and found a new home with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. At Nebraska Thompson completed an almost identical 63.1% of his 274 pass attempts for a career high 2,407 yards. He connected for 17 passing touchdowns and finished the season with a 150.1 quarterback rating.
Having powerhouse teams like Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State in the Big 10, Thompson could not see a route to the big dance through this conference. Again, Thompson entered the transfer portal and landed at FAU.
With the 2023 season on the horizon, FAU fans should be excited for what’s to come. The addition of veteran quarterback Casey Thompson has the potential to write a Cinderella story similar to the JMU Dukes last season.
I think this is a smart pickup by Tom Herman and FAU Football, especially as the team enters a new conference and is coming off of a losing season. With young and promising weapons, Thompson has the ability to make this season his best so far and lead the Owls to a near perfect season.
Recent Comments