Former Nebraska football starting QB reportedly transfers to Florida Atlantic

Casey Thompson has found a new home.

The former Nebraska quarterback is heading to Florida Atlantic, announcing his new transfer destination today. Thompson, the Huskers’ starting quarterback in 2022, entered the transfer portal on April 28. At FAU, Thompson will be reunited with his old head coach at Texas, Tom Herman, who is entering his first season at the helm of the Owls.

The sixth-year veteran had plenty of suitors once he hit the open market, including SEC programs Auburn and Florida, and he has now found the next spot where he will look for one more successful season as a starting quarterback.

>>> Not a member of Inside Nebraska yet? Join the community today!

Going into spring practice, it appeared that Thompson would eventually be in a heated quarterback competition with Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims once fall camp hit. Thompson, who was held out of spring practice by the new Husker staff while rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, was still putting in work in the film room, was in uniform at every practice and went through non-contact drills despite not being allowed to throw passes throughout all of March and April.

Sims, in the meantime, took hold of the spot as the team’s top quarterback as the physically impressive transfer (6-4, 220 pounds) made progress with his accuracy and gained more comfort in the system being installed by new offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield.

Thompson (6-0, 195 pounds) was unable to prove himself on the field with live reps in front of the new staff, and Sims gained a strong foothold in the quarterback room throughout the 15-practice spring season. Matt Rhule, Satterfield and the new staff determined after spring ball that Thompson was the clear No. 2 quarterback as the program went into the summer and would remain firmly behind Sims on the depth chart heading into fall camp.

>>> RELATED: How Casey Thompson’s transfer affects Husker QB room

Thompson made the decision soon after exit meetings with Rhule and Satterfield to enter the portal. He appears to be healthy as he enters a sixth-and-final season of college football.

Thompson spent four seasons at Texas and started in 10 of 19 games. He transferred to Nebraska in January 2022 and soon took over the Huskers’ No. 1 quarterback job. He finished with a 63 percent completion percentage (173 of 274), 2,407 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions and five rushing touchdowns.

Those numbers came during a season of turmoil as the Huskers finished 4-8 and had to navigate the firing of Scott Frost following a 1-2 start through three games.

If looking at only the positives, though, Thompson’s one-year stop in Lincoln will be remembered by most Husker fans for the quarterback’s toughness, work ethic, football IQ and his electric connection with receiver Trey Palmer.

>>> RELATED: Thompson & Trey: Nebraska’s best QB-WR combo of this century?

Thompson earned respect and admiration from the Nebraska faithful throughout the entire fall for battling through a laundry list of injuries, playing through pain and continuing to get off the turf after taking multiple rough hits in the pocket in nearly every game.

Thompson faced the third-most pressures (125) and took the sixth-most sacks (20) in the Big Ten – including 16 sacks through the first seven games. Still, Thompson finished the year with the seventh-most passing yards and 10th-most passing touchdowns in a single season in Nebraska history.

Palmer also found himself in the Huskers’ record books, benefitting from Thompson’s passing by finishing with the most receiving yards (1,043), second-most receptions (71) and fifth-most touchdown receptions (nine) in the Huskers’ single-season history. Palmer accounted for more than half of Thompson’s passing touchdowns, and he accounted for more than 40 percent of Thompson’s yardage and completions.

Thompson and Palmer were at their best when connecting on explosive plays, which were highlighted by a game-sealing 71-yard touchdown against Indiana, a game-winning 27-yard touchdown over Rutgers and a 72-yard touchdown versus Purdue – all of which led to a fun mid-season trend on Husker Twitter.

The dynamic pair saved their best for last on Black Friday against Iowa. Thompson hit Palmer on the second series of the game for an 87-yard touchdown, and they later connected for an 18-yard score to spark a 24-17 win over Kirk Ferentz’s program. Thompson finished 20-of-30 for 278 yards and three touchdowns, Palmer had nine catches for 165 yards and the two scores, and the Huskers ended a seven-game losing streak to Iowa while bouncing the Hawkeyes from the Big Ten Championship Game.

Thompson and Palmer finished the 2022 season as one of the most accomplished quarterback-receiver duos in the program’s history in just one season together.

Palmer is off to the NFL, and Thompson has found a new home as both have now officially moved on from the Nebraska program.

In five seasons, Thompson has completed 63.5 percent of his passes (358-of-564) for 4,829 yards, 47 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, and he has rushed for 10 touchdowns on 129 attempts while earning 20 starts in 29 career games.

Discuss Casey Thompson’s transfer, his one-year career at Nebraska and more with other Husker fans on the Insider’s Board