Nebraska Football: Reacting to Casey Thompson transferring

Nebraska football quarterback Casey Thompson has entered the transfer portal, according to multiple media reports.

Thompson transferred to the Nebraska football program from Texas in December 2021. He started one season for Nebraska, recording 2,407 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. His best game in the 2022 season came in the season finale against Iowa. He went 20-of-30 on the afternoon, throwing for 278 yards and three touchdowns.

QB Casey Thompson from Nebraska has entered the transfer portal, @TheAthletic has learned.

— Mitch Sherman (@mitchsherman) April 28, 2023

What does this mean for Nebraska Football?

This means a couple things for Nebraska football. For one, Jeff Sims is now the de facto starter. Sims transferred in from Georgia Tech in December. He made his first appearance for Nebraska during the spring game and played well. He went nine-of-13 on the day,  throwing for 139 yards.  Sims also carried the ball six times for 14 yards and a touchdown.

In my opinion, Sims is a bit of a better fit for this offense. His mobility allows him to be effective in a RPO type of setting. On top of that, he has the arm. Accuracy is something he has to work on, although I was impressed with how he looked over the course of the spring game. This is not trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Sims is a good fit for what the offense wants to be.

A thin QB room

Secondly, this leaves the Nebraska football quarterback room pretty thin. Logan Smothers already transferred out this week, and so did Richard Torres. Currently, Nebraska has four quarterbacks on the roster. Chubba Purdy and Jack Woche don’t have a ton of production under their belt, and Heinrich Haarberg doesn’t have a ton of college experience in general. This could be a bit problematic if Sims goes down with an injury.

In any event, Thompson probably was told he wasn’t going to start. This leaves him the opportunity to start for his last season. He probably wants to go and start somewhere and get playing time in his last season. It’s hard to blame him. I certainly don’t personally.

It’s now the Jeff Sims Show. Time to see what he can do. The transfer portal has hit everybody hard, and Nebraska is no exception.