Keytaon Thompson is already a 2020 graduate of Mississippi State, where he played quarterback for parts of three seasons, and the 2022 season will be his third at Virginia, where he is working on a master’s degree in higher education.
Way back in 2017, he outplayed future NFL MVP Lamar Jackson in a 31-28 win over Louisville in the Taxslayer Bowl, throwing for 127 yards and rushing for 147 yards and three TDs.
The upcoming season will be his second as a full-time wideout at Virginia, and if the 6’4”, 210-pound big target can build on his big Year 1 – 78 catches on 112 targets, 990 yards, an 85.5 grade from Pro Football Focus – he will be getting looks from the NFL.
First things first. Thompson and his offensive teammates have a new offense to learn. New head coach Tony Elliott and offensive coordinator Des Kitchings are installing a more balanced attack than the one that put up big numbers in the passing game in 2021 under Robert Anae.
“It’s different, it’s different, that’s for sure,” said Thompson, who is playing under his fourth different offensive coordinator in his six years in college football. “I think the staff has done a really good job of breaking it down and being able to teach us the new schemes and the new terminology. The way that we installed and the way that we do plays, I think it’s really helpful to the entire group.”
Thompson’s first year at Virginia, in 2020, saw him used a lot in a sort of “slash” role – lining up at quarterback, in the wildcat, and only occasionally in the slot or out wide.
KT was on the field for snaps in the wildcat and running back in 2021, but the bulk of his snaps were at wideout.
Which means, he’s still learning the position, after three years at QB, a year playing all over the place, and a year developing his ability to read defenses from the outside.
“He’s always taking notes,” said Marques Hagans, Virginia’s wide receivers coach, who played quarterback and wideout at UVA, then three years in the NFL exclusively at wideout. “I think for him, there’s so much that he wants to learn and so many things that he wants to get better at, but not overwhelming him every day.
“There’s certain things that we can work on each day, to learn to become consistent with, and the thing I keep trying to assure him is that it’s not all going to happen in 15 practices. This is something that’s going to continue to build through the offseason to fall camp all the way through the season,” Hagans said.
It’s worth noting that Thompson had the most targets and the most receptions among a wideout unit that is as deep and talented as any in the country, with Dontayvion Wicks (57 catches, 1,203 yards) and Billy Kemp IV (74 catches, 710 yards) returning from 2021, and Lavel Davis (20 catches, 515 yards in 2020) returning from injury to add to the depth of talent.
“Everyone has expectations for our receivers, for the offense, with BA coming back, Lavel coming back, other guys on the offense that we have returning as well. The expectations are high. Practice gets really competitive. I think guys want to win. I think we’ll continue to get better throughout the spring,” Thompson said.
It helps Thompson and his fellow wideouts that BA – record-setting QB1 Brennan Armstrong, who threw for 4,449 yards and 31 TDs in 2021 – is back running the offense.
“That was really big for Virginia, for Brennan to come back,” Thompson said. “He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country as well as, he’s a really hard worker. I’m just really excited to see how much better can he get, because I know he’s going to put the work in. I’m just really excited to see what he can do this this season coming up.”
Hagans thinks we have yet to see the best from Thompson.
“There’s so many little things that he can become better at, some things that kind of, he got by with or overlooked just because he is such a good football player, and now just hone in on all the small details to allow his ability to complement his fundamentals,” Hagans said. “That’s when you get your players at their best. And so, there’s a lot of little things. There’s a play that he knows that I know that really has haunted him, since it happened last year, and just ensuring things like that don’t ever happen again, and really focusing on leaving ‘22 as one of the best chapters in UVA football history. And that’s one of our goals this this year.”
Story by Chris Graham
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