JD PicKell reveals the biggest thing Casey Thompson is looking for in next school

For the second time in his college career, Casey Thompson is transferring schools. The last time was when he left Texas for Nebraska. Now, after going through spring ball with a new coaching staff at Nebraska, he’s on the move again.

By now, Thompson is an experienced quarterback. So, what is he really looking for in a new program at this point? On3’s JD PicKell explained what that might be.

“It’s a big deal he knows the system because he missed spring football,” PicKell said on The Hard Count. “Spring football, for a lot of y’all who follow this sport closely, that’s when a lot of the key installs are made. That’s when you kind of crawl before you walk and walk before you run. That’s when the most crucial teaching points are made.”

“So, for Casey Thompson, it would be a big deal to transfer somewhere else and learn a new offense in the course of fall camp and summer workouts. Then, figure it out before game one. That would be a difficult thing to do.”

Ultimately, PicKell thinks that Thompson is doing his best to put together a resume for the NFL. He wants one more season on tape to show teams at the next level, which means familiarity in the system is going to be huge to both get on the field and perform well in that system.

“Casey Thompson is trying to put together a resume for the National Football League. That’s what it’s about.”

Because of this, PicKell is looking at the Group of Five and FAU in particular as a landing spot for Casey Thompson.

“The reality is, someone of Casey Thompson’s ability, someone of his caliber a quarterback, should walk into the AAC and be a big fish in a relatively small pond. He should ball out. He should put together ridiculous numbers in that system he’s familiar with and make plays.”

By putting up huge statistical numbers, Thompson could reestablish himself among the draft-eligible quarterbacks in 2024. That should be easier to do at FAU than at another school.

“The way that I’m looking at this, Casey Thompson is one of Tom Herman’s people that I would expect him to bring in and try to achieve immediate success,” PicKell concluded.

Why FAU makes sense for Casey Thompson

FAU is a football program in transition right now. The Owls are moving from C-USA to the AAC. With that switch, FAU also moved on from head coach Willie Taggart, replacing him with former Texas head coach Tom Herman.

That’s the same Tom Herman who coached Casey Thompson at Texas, leading to rumors that he’s FAU bound.

“I wholeheartedly believe [that] we’re gonna see Casey Thompson end up at FAU. I think he’s gonna end up at FAU for a couple of reasons. And the first of which being [to] remember who is the head coach of FAU right now? That’s right: Tom Herman, who was, at one point at time, the head coach at Texas. And a lot of people, even when Casey Thompson was at Texas under Steve Sarkisian and he was the starting quarterback for a period of time there, saying, ‘Yeah, he’s doing some good things. But he was really a Tom Herman-guy,'” PicKell explained.

“He was a guy that fit better in Tom Herman’s scheme. His skillset fit better with Tom Herman. Well, now, that door is wide open for Casey Thompson and Tom Herman to pick up where they left off.”