For the third time in as many seasons, Kansas State sixth-year senior quarterback Skylar Thompson has been named to the initial watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Current K-State quarterbacks coach Collin Klein won the award in 2012, while previous Wildcat candidates for the award include Jake Waters (2014), Michael Bishop (1998 finalist) and Chad May (1994 finalist).
This is the fifth preseason watch list Thompson has been named to prior to the 2021 season, a list that also includes the Maxwell Award, Manning Award, Wuerffel Trophy and Senior Bowl.
Thompson has thrown for 5,021 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career, while he has rushed for 1,083 yards and another 22 scores. He enters his second senior season in the top 10 of 15 career categories in K-State history. Additionally, he is one of just two signal callers in school history – along with Ell Roberson – to throw for 5,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career.
The Wildcats embark on the 2021 campaign two weeks from Saturday, as the Wildcats face Stanford in the Allstate Kickoff Classic inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on September 4. The game kicks off at 11 a.m. and will be shown on FS1.