Both on the field and during the recruiting cycle quarterbacks are viewed as the leaders by his teammates and his fellow commits. It has become a trend for quarterbacks to reserve their spot in the class early on in the cycle and help spearhead recruiting efforts for his future school, and that trend is going to hold true in the case of Casey Thompson.
It’s not too often you will find an Oklahoma legacy like Thompson that has an affinity and desire to play his college football for the Sooners’ arch rival on the opposite side of the Red River. Despite both his father and older brother both playing for Oklahoma, Thompson’s desire to play for Texas has been apparent for some time now, even participating on Texas based 7 on 7 tournament team (more on that later).
Thompson held over 20 offers from some of best schools in the country. While there were some twists and turns as the staff thoroughly evaluated their options, Thompson makes sense for Texas, and Texas makes sense for Thompson in a lot of different ways.
Film Analysis (Will Baizer)
The more you watch Casey Thompson’s film, the more comfortable you feel with having him be your quarterback. Thompson has a big green check-plus next to many attributes it takes to be an All-Star at the next level and is no doubt an elite talent.
For starters, Thompson has some impeccable footwork and an impressive throwing motion. He has wonderful tempo with his feet in and out of the pocket. He has good throwing mechanics and a lot of strength in his arm, which enables him to get a ball out with ease.
One of the best parts of his game is his ability to release the ball in an instant. I haven’t seen him bring the ball down or cock his arm to deliver a pass yet. It is almost like he doesn’t even bring the ball back, it is out of his hand so fast. He doesn’t sacrifice mechanics, finesse, or power to do so either.
I don’t believe the deep ball will be an issue for Thompson as he has shown excellent touch and distance on the long ball. In fact, I measured one of his deep balls to be around fifty yards right into the hands of a streaking wide receiver multiple times.
With intermediate routes, Thompson, once again, shows that he has some impressive touch and precision in his game. Not too fast, not too soft and almost always in the right spot where the only guy catching the ball will be the receiver.
On screen plays, slants, and hitches, Thompson is able to place the ball where it needs to be to give his receiver the easiest time with a catch and run. While sometimes you get a quarterback that throws nothing but fastballs on the short routes, Casey can finesse the ball to his receivers without cutting too far into the velocity of the pass.
Thompson under pressure is impressive. Thompson has been one of the best at escaping the pass rusher I’ve seen. While it is easy for dual-threat quarterbacks to rely on their legs when the play breaks down, Thompson appears to keep his eyes downfield and deliver a ball on the run. While he would rather be able to set his feet on a roll out to his right to deliver a pass, he has shown multiple times he is able to do just as well without having his feet properly set. All in all, he has shown an impressive ability to escape a pocket, find open receivers downfield, set a tempo, maintain a good throwing motion, and deliver a ball all while the defense closes in on him. All of the necessary traits you look for in a quarterback.
When he needs to run downfield, Thompson has the quickness and ball-carrier vision to bust a big play with his legs. He is a nifty runner, who is light on his feet, and can change direction in an instant. He uses his superior athleticism to juke players or just flat out run them with 4.55 speed.
If you made me nit-pick Thompson’s game, I’d say some of the passes he throws are a bit too risky. He has a tendency to throw a ball up for grabs or while he’s being taken down. It is something you see in younger quarterbacks. They rely too heavily on their athleticism and try to make the play that isn’t there. That won’t fly at the next level.
Final Verdict
At the end of the day, Thompson is a rock solid take for Texas and gives them a quarterback with a high floor. His game reminds me a bit of Shane Buechele in the sense that he is smart, he processes things quickly, and gets the ball out with solid arm strength, and some mobility to his game. Although, I wouldn’t say he has elite athleticism or wheels.
Thompson’s commitment gives Texas their third consecutive four star quarterback commitment and will give them a solid three deep of signal callers once Thompson gets to campus (he is expected to be an early enrollee), and continues to add quality depth to the most important meeting room on campus.
As I mentioned earlier, Thompson’s commitment comes with a bit of a perk for the Texas staff. He participates on the loaded Fast 7 on 7 team that includes several high priority targets, including Brennan Eagles, Leon O’Neal, Jalen Green, Jaylen Waddle, and D’Shawn Jamison. It won’t hurt to have Thompson in their ear saying nice things about the Longhorns as the cycle wears on and they continue to build chemistry. Needless to say, this is a commitment that could pay huge dividends for the Texas staff in more ways than one.
