Goal No. 10: NEVER GIVE UP. Never, never, never.

#10 Skylar Thompson

Redshirt Sophomore | 6-2 | 205 lbs. | Independence, Missouri

Courtesy Kansas State Athletics

• Position: Quarterback
• Previous College: None
• Projection: Co-Starter
• Status: On Scholarship

And now for a profile of the guy who, in 2017, lived the mantra of “NEVER GIVE UP...”

Skylar John Thompson (b. June 4, 1997) is a young quarterback with a big arm who helped to lead K-State to significant wins down the stretch run of 2017 and will compete heatedly with Alex Delton for the starting nod under center as a sophomore in 2018.

Thompson, who was voted a team co-captain for the 2018 season, was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the Class of 2016 when he graduated early and enrolled at K-State in January 2016.

He shined on the scout team during his redshirt season in 2016 and was a co-winner of the team’s Red Raider Award as the top contributor on the scout team.

In 2017, Thompson became just the second freshman quarterback to start under Bill Snyder (the other, for the trivia inclined, was Allan Evridge, but that didn’t go nearly so well). For more feel-goods about this success story, read this wonderful story by Kellis Robinett.

He played in eight games last year, including starts in each of the final four contests, and threw for 689 yards and five touchdowns on 51-of-83 aim while rushing for 237 yards and another three scores as he earned votes for Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.

Thompson also tied for third in school history in passing touchdowns among freshmen, while he had the fourth-most passing yards by a freshman in school history.

He had his best game of the year at the most important time as he led K-State to an improbable win at No. 10 Oklahoma State, when he threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 10-of-13 accuracy.

With the help of Byron Pringle, Thompson earned a passer efficiency rating of 284.9 against the Cowboys, the fourth-highest mark in school history and the highest ever by a freshman.

He also rushed for 93 yards and another score at OSU, and he was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week and a Manning Award Star of the Week.

Thompson also earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week accolades as he led K-State to a win over Iowa State, throwing a game-winning touchdown pass on the final play of regulation.

He had 124 of his 152 passing yards against the Cyclones in the fourth quarter after K-State trailed by 12 points with 13:46 left in the game.

Continuing the comeback theme, Thompson accounted for two touchdowns and threw for a two-point conversion in the second half and overtime at Texas Tech, leading the Wildcats to the largest fourth-quarter deficit they’ve ever overcome in a road game in school history.

A three-year starter at Fort Osage High School under head coach Ryan Schartz, Thompson was regarded as one of the top 250 players in the class of 2016 by Rivals, while the recruiting service also rated him the seventh-best dual-threat quarterback in the nation and the No. 2 prospect in the state of Missouri.

He also was ranked as the 32nd-best dual-threat quarterback by ESPN and the 65th-best overall by Scout.

Thompson was named the 2015 Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year and Simone Award winner as the most outstanding football player in the Kansas City metropolitan area. He was a finalist for the award in 2014, while he is a two-time member of the All-Simone team.

Thompson was a two-time first-team all-state selection by the Missouri Football Coaches Association who also was selected to the USA Today Sports/American Family Insurance All-USA Missouri Team as a senior, while the organization selected him as the offensive player of the year.

He led the Indians to a 13-1 record and the Missouri Class 5 state championship in 2015 as he threw for 2,112 yards and 25 touchdowns, with just three interceptions, on 138-of-204 passing (67.7 percent).

Thompson also rushed for 1,092 yards and 19 touchdowns on 188 carries, and set a state championship game record in the Indians’ 63-28 win over Chaminade, as he accounted for 455 yards of total offense, completing 13 of 15 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 202 yards and three scores.

He threw for 2,385 yards and 24 touchdowns to just six interceptions as a junior in 2014, while rushing for 461 yards and nine touchdowns, and also played basketball, earning second-team all-state honors as a sophomore.