"You're like an old man now."
When Joel Klatt passed by Skylar Thompson outside the Dallas Cowboys locker room at Big 12 Media Days in Arlington, the FOX broadcaster came ready with a quip.
Somehow, he isn't even the oldest player on this K-State team (fellow 24-year-old Daniel Imatorbhebhe has him beat by seven months), but Thompson's experience under center is unmatched.
Playing one of the most visible positions in the Big 12 since 2017, Thompson has made 30 starts across five seasons in Manhattan.
And it was that 30th start, against Texas Tech back on October 3, that almost everyone in Dallas wanted to talk about.
"I motioned my running back out to the receiver spot. We had game-planned all week that if they were in man coverage, we were going to take a shot and throw fade," Thompson recalled. "Kind of stuck my arm out as I was finishing my throw, got hit to the ground in kind of a weird spot and I just thought it was a normal hit. I got up and started moving around when a sharp pain went down my arm."
That upper-body injury to Thompson's throwing arm ended his redshirt senior season with the Wildcats after just three games. It was the first significant injury of his college career.
At AT&T Stadium, Thompson was back with a new number – the No. 7 he wore growing up - and the same mentality that's defined his time with the Wildcats.
"I've never really dealt with an injury like this and when I got the feedback that I was going to need to have surgery and my season was done, that was really heartbreaking," he said. "I put my faith in God's hands and trusted his plan for me. I knew everything else would take care of itself. The biggest thing for me was not letting that dictate who I was off the field and deliver for my teammates."
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Thompson was a constant presence on the sideline in 2020, even after his injury, as the Wildcats turned to Will Howard at quarterback to finish the season.
Both players bring starting experience into 2021, as a sixth-year senior and sophomore respectively, a luxury not many teams in college football will enjoy this season.
"We have two starting quarterbacks returning," head coach Chris Klieman said. "Quarterback oftentimes is a position that you either have one or you have none, and we have at least two and some other kids that potentially have a chance."
While Thompson was asked plenty of questions about the past in Dallas, his coach made it clear: everything the Wildcats hope to do in the present starts with No. 7.
Getting the ball to a playmaker like Deuce Vaughn, somebody the Wildcats hope to utilize out of the backfield and in the passing game, is going to be a priority. Factor in Thompson's chemistry with an experienced offensive line, and the K-State offense should be firing on all cylinders.
"I really think [the offensive line] is going to be one of the strengths of our football team," Klieman said. "It's going to have to be to keep Skylar (Thompson) healthy and give him time to get the ball to so many of the people that we have that can do some things with it."
For Thompson, his focus at Media Days was on "the things I can control."
With another shot at his senior season, along with four other seniors who returned after the NCAA awarded student-athletes another year of eligibility due to COVID-19, Thompson has a unique opportunity to end his K-State career on a high note.
Sure, call Thompson an old man, but it can only help the Wildcats that the most experienced guy in the stadium is going to be the 24-year-old under center.
"It's not about you or me. It's about us," Thompson said. "That's the driving force this year."
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SE: It's About Us – Thompson Ready for One More Shot at Senior Season - Kansas State University Athletics - K-StateSports.com
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