Former MLB Player Bubba Thompson Walking Onto College Football Team
01/13/2025 02:44 PM
After spending a few years in the Bigs, former MLB outfielder Bubba Thompson is reportedly heading back to school to make the transition to the gridiron.
Thompson, whose bounced between the majors and minors for eight seasons now as a member of the Rangers and Reds, has made the decision to walk-on at South Alabama in the Sun Belt.
The news comes via Creg Stephenson of AL.com who first reported the news on Monday morning.
"Bubba Thompson has enrolled at South Alabama and has joined the Jaguars football team as a walk-on, AL.com has learned," Stephenson wrote. "Thompson, who will turn 27 in June, was an all-state quarterback at Mobile's McGill-Toolen Catholic School in 2016, but has spent the last eight seasons playing professional baseball."
"He was a first-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2017, and played parts of the last three seasons as an outfielder at the major-league level with the Rangers and Cincinnati Reds," the reporter noted.
Thompson was spotted at the university over the weekend throwing some balls to Jags receivers on social media and head coach Major Applewhite also confirmed that the ex-OF will join the team for offseason workouts and spring practice.
When it comes to Bubba's eligibility: "Because [he] never enrolled in college, [Thompson] has a full five years to play four seasons at the college level," the AL.com writer shared.
Thompson was a former three-star recruit coming out of high school and joins a long list of players who have made similar moves in their careers — like Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden back in 2008.
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