Nebraska QB Casey Thompson entering transfer portal after one season with Huskers

Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson is entering the transfer portal.

The former Texas quarterback is set to look for a third school ahead of the 2023 season according to multiple reports. Thompson transferred to Nebraska last offseason and won the starting quarterback job.

But Thompson’s departure comes as Nebraska is facing a scholarship crunch and as the team added another transfer quarterback this offseason. Former Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims transferred to Lincoln after the 2022 season and now looks like the favorite to begin 2023 as Nebraska’s starter. Sims has thrown for 4,464 yards and 30 TDs in 25 games with the Yellow Jackets and has also rushed for 1,152 yards and 11 scores.

Thompson, who was limited during the spring due to an offseason shoulder surgery, played in 10 games in 2022 and was 173-of-274 passing for 2,407 yards and 17 TDs over the course of a tumultuous season. Scott Frost was fired as Nebraska’s coach following an early-season loss to Georgia Southern and former Baylor and Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule was hired at the end of the season to take over.

Before coming to Nebraska, Thompson was Texas’ primary QB in 2021. He completed 63.2% of his passes and threw for 24 TDs to just nine interceptions but transferred away after 2022 as Quinn Ewers took over as the team’s starter.

As a graduate transfer and a member of the recruiting class of 2018, Thompson has one more season of eligibility remaining. He's the third Nebraska quarterback to enter the transfer portal this week after Richard Torres and Logan Smothers also said they would explore transfers.

Nebraska, meanwhile, is now closer and closer to the 85-player scholarship limit for FBS programs. The Huskers entered spring practice with over 90 scholarship players because of freshmen signees and transfers. Nebraska must be down to the scholarship limit by the start of fall practice and it’s very likely that other players will transfer.