K-State’s Thompson Named to Golden Arm Award Watch List

(Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics)

MANHATTAN, Kan. – For a second-consecutive season, Kansas State senior quarterback Skylar Thompson has been named to the watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the award’s committee has announced.

He is the first player in school history to be a two-time candidate for the award. Current K-State quarterbacks coach Collin Klein was the 2012 winner, while Chad May (1994) and Michael Bishop (1998) were finalists, and Jake Waters was a preseason candidate in 2014.

The mention on the Golden Arm Award watch list is Thompson’s fourth this preseason as he is also a candidate for the Maxwell Award, Manning Award and Wuerffel Trophy. He is one of 48 players on the Golden Arm Award watch list, including five Big 12 signal callers.

A native of Independence, Missouri, Thompson enters his final season at K-State ranked in the top 10 in school history in 10 career categories, while he is on the cusp of becoming the first player in school history to throw for 6,000 career yards and rush for 1,000 career yards.

Thompson is coming off a banner year in 2019 when he set career highs in passing yards (2,315), passing touchdowns (12), rushing yards (405) and rushing touchdowns (11) as he earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 accolades, the first Wildcat signal caller to earn postseason accolades from the league’s coaches since Waters in 2014.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is presented annually to the top senior and upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Selection Committee. Candidates are chosen based on player performance on and off the field.

Kansas State opens the 2020 season – the 125th in school history – on Saturday, September 12 as the Wildcats host Arkansas State.