‘Appreciative for the good times’: Skylar Thompson’s journey to stardom for K-State
In order to properly describe the joy he felt following Kansas State’s upset victory over Oklahoma last week Skylar Thompson must first take a painful look at the past.
At this time last year, Thompson was terrified of losing his starting quarterback job and he rarely played up to his potential. The Wildcats were no match for opponents like the Sooners and K-State missed out on a bowl game for the first time since 2009. Things got bad enough for Thompson to consider transferring and starting fresh elsewhere.
Had someone told him he would be sitting here today fresh off a 48-41 victory against the Big 12’s perennial kingpin in which he led the Wildcats offense to 426 yards, scored four rushing touchdowns and then danced with gleeful strangers on the field, Thompson knows exactly how he would have reacted.
“I would have laughed at you,” he said.
Thompson, now a redshirt junior, has come a long way in a year. His confident demeanor and improved play under new K-State football coach Chris Klieman have defined this season for the Wildcats. They are 5-2 and ranked 22nd with a pair of marquee wins, and the entire roster seems happy.
But no one is having more fun than Thompson.
“It makes me more appreciative of the moment and getting to experience it, because I have seen the other side of things, for sure,” Thompson said. “Thinking about how much things have changed for me in a year ... It’s been a long journey. It’s been a fun one through the highs and lows. I have grown a lot. I have gotten a lot better on and off the field.
“Whenever you experience adversity, trials and tribulations, it makes you appreciative for the good times.”
More on the way?
It seems like Thompson is only beginning to show what he is capable of in Klieman’s offense. The former four-star recruit from Fort Osage High in Independence, Missouri has looked like a true dual-threat quarterback over the past two weeks while leading the Wildcats to a pair of important victories.
Against TCU, Thompson had 172 yards and two touchdowns as a passer on top of 68 yards and one touchdown as a runner.
Against Oklahoma, he passed for 213 yards and also rushed for 39 yards and four touchdowns.
One moment, he’s dropping back in the pocket and finding Dalton Schoen with a perfectly thrown ball on third-and-long. The next, Thompson he’s keeping the ball and making a linebacker look silly on his way into the end zone.
“He has a ton of confidence,” K-State safety Denzel Goolsby said. “He is a great leader for us. He has definitely taken off, and the team has rallied behind him.”
Thompson is starting to resemble Easton Stick and Carson Wentz, the two best quarterbacks Klieman used to coach at North Dakota State.
Time will tell if Thompson can follow the paths they took to the NFL, but he is doing whatever it takes to win.
He isn’t the flashiest quarterback in the Big 12, but he is already within 184 yards and two touchdowns of matching his passing production from last season of 1,391 yards and nine touchdowns. His seven rushing scores are already a career high.
“I can’t say enough good things about the guy,” K-State left tackle Scott Frantz said. “You see him in the end zone diving and taking big hits because it’s not for him. It’s for the team. When you see unselfish guys like Skylar you see those sort of plays.”
New coach, new player
Klieman realized Thompson could evolve into this type of player the moment he arrived on campus.
When he was at North Dakota State, Klieman unsuccessfully tried to recruit Thompson. He’s always recognized his talent. But he most admires his passion and willingness to learn. Thompson appreciates the energy Klieman has brought to the program and the trust he has shown in him as a quarterback.
They have formed a strong bond.
Thompson began the season playing like a pocket passer and described himself as a game manager, but he has been given more input on the offense as the year has progressed. Now you are seeing his complete skillset.
“He’s a great competitor,” Klieman said. “He wants to be great. He wants to be challenged. He’s a football junkie. He loves the nuances, the X’s and O’s and those things. He works extremely hard at his craft, whether that’s mentally or physically, he works extremely hard. I’m glad it paid off for him on Saturday. I know he feels he can continue to get better.”
Thompson and the Wildcats aren’t ready to stop now.
As good as they looked at times last week scoring on eight consecutive drives against the Sooners and building a 48-23 lead, they know the victory will lose some luster if they can’t follow it up with a win over Kansas on Saturday.
The Wildcats are one victory away from bowl eligibility. That was viewed as a significant goal coming into the season. But, much like their quarterback, they have come a long way since then.
“I am not just trying to win six games and being bowl eligible,” Thompson said. “Our standard here is much higher than that. Honestly, I haven’t even thought about that. It would be cool to knock off the list, but I don’t really care much about that. I just want to go win and put ourselves in a situation to be successful moving forward. That is the whole deal. We have a high standard here at K-State and we have got to live up to that standard.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2019 at 5:00 AM with the headline "‘Appreciative for the good times’: Skylar Thompson’s journey to stardom for K-State."