A quarterback for his entire high school career and all three seasons at Mississippi State, Keytaon Thompson took on an all-purpose role – now officially coined, “Football Player” – for the University of Virginia football program in 2020. The 6’4”, 215-pound grad-transfer emerged as a valuable contributor, amassing 234 yards rushing and 98 yards receiving and totaling six touchdowns.

Rushing has been an obvious strength of Thompson’s, even when he was a quarterback. He averaged 6.8 yards per carry while rushing for 672 yards and 10 scores his first two seasons in Starkville. In his first season as a Cavalier, Thompson had 39 carries for 234 yards and three touchdowns.

To maximize his all-purpose capabilities, improving as a wide receiver was a must. Prior to the beginning of the 2021 season, UVA head coach Bronco Mendenhall noted Thompson’s improvement in terms of route running and hands. The praise, we are seeing, was well warranted, and Thompson may just be hitting his stride as a receiver.

Thompson has hauled in 42 of 66 targets this season – he had 12 targets in nine games last season – for 572 yards, including a 9-catch, 89-yard effort in last Saturday’s win over Georgia Tech and a 10-catch, 149-yard performance at Louisville in Week 6. In Virginia’s wins over Louisville and Georgia Tech, Pro Football Focus assigned Thompson receiving grades in the 80s – 84.1 versus Georgia Tech and 82.1 versus Louisville. Thompson’s highest receiving grade in 2020 was 71 versus Abilene Christian, and before Louisville his highest receiving grade this season was 67.2 against Illinois.

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