Skylar Thompson

Early life

Thompson was born to Brad Thompson and Teresa Thompson in Palmyra, Missouri on June 4, 1997. His mother Teresa was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer and died in 2004 when Thompson was just six years old. Thompson also lost his grandfather, John Thompson, in 2003 to pancreatic cancer.

Thompson was a four-year letterman and starting quarterback, punter, and kicker at Fort Osage High School in Independence, Missouri. As a senior, Thompson threw for 2,129 yards on 142 passes with 26 touchdowns on only 3 interceptions, leading the Fort Osage Indians to a 13–1 record and a state championship title over Chaminade High School. In the state championship game, Thompson threw and rushed for a state championship game record of 455 yards and 7 touchdowns combined. In his total career, Thompson threw for 6,222 yards on 423 passes (a 63% completion rate) with 72 touchdowns on just 9 interceptions.

Thompson was named a 3-star recruit by ESPN and a 4-star recruit by 247Sports, accepting a full-ride scholarship to Kansas State over offers from Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Louisville, North Dakota State, Ohio, Tulsa, UNLV, Wake Forest, and Wyoming, as well as several preferred walk-on spots, including Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, among many others.

Thompson also lettered in basketball, baseball, and soccer, and was named Missouri All-State in both basketball and soccer at certain points in his career.

College career

After redshirting as a freshman and being named Scout Team Player of the Year, Thompson appeared in eight games and had four starts, throwing three touchdowns on 267 yards. He was named the full-time starter as a sophomore and kept that starting role until graduation, but was constantly plagued with injuries throughout college. His sophomore year was riddled with minor injuries, including a broken rib and a twisted ankle, and in 2020, Thompson was ruled out-for-season after sustaining a serious upper-body injury against Texas Tech. He was again injured in week 3 of 2021 against Southern Illinois, seeing limited time as a backup while healing and not returning full-time until week 10.

When Thompson was healthy, he played very well and was considered one of the best quarterbacks in the history of Kansas State football, having the all-time record for best passer rating over 2,000 yards, the second-most career passing touchdowns and passing yards in school history, as well as the second-most total offensive yards for a quarterback in school history. He finished his passing career with 7,134 yards on 552 passes (a 63% completion rate) for 42 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Skylar was also an effective running quarterback with 1,087 total rushing yards and 26 touchdowns.

Personal life

In April 2025, Thompson married his wife, Bre Newcomer.

During Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season, the Steelers travelled to Dublin, Ireland to play the Minnesota Vikings. On September 26, 2025, Thompson suffered minor injuries after being jumped and robbed in Dublin.