Nebraska Football: Optimism grows around Casey Thompson

Now that Nebraska football has its new head coach and is filling out its coaching staff, it’s time to focus on what players will be in Lincoln next fall. We know that Trey Palmer is out at the moment. However, it appears there is a chance that Casey Thompson is in.

Nebraska football’s starting quarterback for 2022 has made it clear that he’s a bit torn on whether to come back for one more season. From hearing him talk to various outlets, it’s clear there are weeks where things change by the day. However, recent rumblings could mean there’s a reason for optimism among Husker faithful.

That optimism started when Matt Rhule was officially hired as the head coach of Nebraska football on Monday. Thompson spoke to the Omaha World-Herald not long after the press conference. The quarterback had quite a bit of praise for the new coach. Thompson also seems to like what he sees from new offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield.

"“Diverse offense. Really good in the drop-back passing game, play action. Good in RPOs, very creative in the run game, lot of motions.”"

Obviously, there are some who think his nice words for Rhule could be nothing more than a player being magnanimous now that he’s out the door. There are issues with Thompson coming back. Including the fact that he’d need to find a whole new field of study since he’s already earned a Master’s Degree in applied science.

However, on Thursday morning, the voice of Nebraska football, Greg Sharpe said he’s heard encouraging comments about Casey Thompson staying in Lincoln for one more year.

Appearing on KLIN this morning, Sharpe told host Jack Mitchell that he’s “getting the sense that Casey is gonna come back.”

Nebraska Football Fans Should Want Casey Thompson Back

That could be especially good news, considering how he finished the season. Thompson admittedly had an up-and-down season, though it’s hard to argue that was entirely his fault considering a coaching change in Week 3 and an offensive line that saw him get pressured a whopping 125 times and sacked 20 times, according to PFF.

His low water mark was against Illinois, the same game where he was injured enough to miss a few games afterward. He completed just 46 percent of his passes against the Illini and threw two interceptions.

However, after returning from that injury, he completed 63 percent of his passes and threw 5 touchdowns to zero interceptions. If that Casey Thompson comes back to play for Nebraska football, there is indeed reason for optimism.