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22 CAVALIER CORNER giate career, outdueling Louisville's Lamar Jackson, the Heisman Trophy winner the year prior, in a 31-27 bowl victory. Thompson ran for 3 rushing touchdowns in the contest, establishing a MSU bowl game record. There were flashes of greatness from Thompson as a sophomore in 2018, including his start in the season opener against Stephen F. Austin where he accounted for 473 yards of total offense and 7 touchdowns, which tied an SEC single-game record. He became the third Mississippi State quarterback to rush for 100 yards and throw for 300 in the same game, joining his teammate Fitzgerald and future Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. With a different coaching staff in place than the one that originally recruited him and Fitzgerald in the midst of putting together one of the finest careers in program history, Thompson did not see any action under center in his junior campaign but did see some time at wide receiver, perhaps a precursor on what was to come as he laid out plans for his future. QB COMPETITION With a degree in kinesiology and a concentration in sport administration in hand from Mississippi State, Thompson an- nounced via social media on May 1, 2020 that he would be heading to Virginia as a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility to compete with Brennan Armstrong for the starting quarterback job. It was a position that was previously oc- cupied by Bryce Perkins, who also came to UVA as a transfer quarterback and put together one of the best two seasons ever by a Virginia quarterback that culminated with the program's first-ever appearance in the Orange Bowl. The blueprint to become the next big thing was there for Thompson but the competition never really played out to its full potential. Thompson was limited with an injury to his throwing shoulder, and Armstrong was named the starting quarterback by then head coach Bronco Mendenhall at the end of fall camp. HIS NEXT MOVE It was then that the idea of him playing wide receiver came to fruition. After days at practice just sitting around and watching, the coaching staff and Thompson came to a mutual decision to try his luck on the re- ceiving end of passes. Thompson took it all in stride. At the time of the transition from quarterback to wide receiver, former Cavalier quarterback and current wide receivers coach Marques Hagans said that "the dude has been the ultimate team player. No complaining, no nothing, just, 'How can I help the team?'" The workman-like approach has served Thompson well. Just as he did at Mississippi State, he showed up in big moments in his first season as a wideout. He caught 9 passes, 3 of them going for touchdowns. He also caught a pass against North Carolina on fourth-and-3 on a fake punt attempt to seal the victory. ATTENTION TO DETAIL In order to become elite at the wide re- ceiver, one must master the finer points and hone in on the technical aspects of the posi- tion. New head coach Tony Elliott drove this point home to him upon his arrival to Virginia. Sort of like Thompson's quest a few years back to become a better chess player. Yes, you read that correctly, chess. Thompson, originally a quarterback at Mississippi State, led the Bulldogs to a 31-27 bowl victory over Louisville (and future NFL) star Lamar Jackson in the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl as a freshman. He compiled 3 rushing touchdowns in the contest, establishing an MSU bowl game record. (Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA) LEADERS IN MISSED TACKLES FORCED LAST SEASON AMONG RETURNING WIDE RECEIVERS Rk. Player (School) MTF 1. Keytaon Thompson (Virginia) 22 2. Jordan Addison (Pitt, now USC) 21 3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Ohio State) 19 Source: Pro Football Focus SINGLE-SEASON RECEIVING YARDS AT UVA Rk. Player (Year) Yards 1. Dontayvion Wicks (2021) 1,203 2. Herman Moore (1990) 1,190 3. Hasise Dubois (2019) 1,062 4. Billy McMullen (2001) 1,060 5. Olamide Zaccheaus (2018) 1,058 6. Keytaon Thompson (2021) 990