Another new system to learn? It's old hat for Thompson by now

Recently as UVa wrapped a fall camp practice, it was clear that the offense had a rough day. The defensive players made their way off the practice field and headed towards the McCue Center while the offensive players stayed behind for some extra running. When offensive coordinator Des Kitchings came to the podium a few minutes later, he remarked that his group had had a “terrible” day of practice that included six turnovers across all of the different groups.

This practice performance was just a couple of days after the offense had its way with the defense in the open period of the team’s first scrimmage at Scott Stadium, so one bad practice isn’t a cause for panic. But it’s clear that there are still things to work on and schemes to learn, for newcomers and veterans alike.

One of those veterans who is counted on to help Virgnia’s new offense be as effective as they were last year with the previous staff is super-senior receiver Keytaon Thompson. A member of the most-talented position group on the team, and one of the best receiving corps in the nation, Thompson knows that bad fall camp practices can happen but that the team has to put it behind them.

“Just trying to refocus and get back into it,” he said a couple of days later. “Fall camp is a long process, we’re heading to the tail end of it, guys are tired. We’re trying to get guys to realize that we have to push through and now is actually when we make those strides, when you’re tired and it’s painful and it hurts. You have to fight through it.

“I think the offense responded well,” Thompson added. “We came out and fought hard yesterday. We have a few guys out right now so the numbers aren’t where they should be. But I feel like guys are competing and fighting hard, and I feel like we’re headed in the right direction.”

Thompson has been such a productive player during his two seasons at Virginia that it’s easy to forget how new he is to the position. A quarterback at Mississippi State, he made the shift to wideout after getting hurt in the 2020 fall camp, and has been a key weapon for the Wahoos ever since.

Still, Thompson is continuing to learn the position, and master the craft.

“This is the most comfortable I’ve felt,” he said of his preparation and technique improvements heading into his final season of college ball. “Still getting more comfortable, like today I was really focusing on my stance, and I think I found the perfect spot for me today, just today. Just still working on those little things at the receiver position, it’s really been fun and I’m feeling really confident.”

Thompson is learning another new scheme this year, following the transition from Bronco Mendenhall to Tony Elliott. The senior receiver might be going for an NCAA record number of head coaches in his career, playing for five different big whistles throughout his career. Most of those coaches have been offensive minded (all but Mendenhall, in fact) so there have been plenty of learning opportunities for the QB turned WR. Still, it took him a minute to name all of them when asked (Dan Mullen, Joe Moorehead, Mike Leach, Mendenhall, and now Elliott).

“I’m always used to learning new offenses, based on that,” he explained. “It’s kind of what I do in the offseason, learn a new offense, throughout the five different head coaches. I really think it’s helped me from a football IQ standpoint, seeing all the different philosophies from the different head coaches and different offensive coordinators. I think it’s really helped me become a student of the game.”

Elliott was a wide receiver himself in his playing days at Clemson, and his knowledge of the position has made him another resource for that group. The receivers have all been clear about how Elliott holds the group to a high standard and isn’t afraid to do a lot of teaching during practice. Thompson has had to get used to having another voice in his ear but ultimately says it has been good for his development.

“It was daunting for me at first in the spring, but I’ve kind of gotten used to it now,” he said of having a position group but also a head coach who is involved with the receivers. “Now I’m looking for him, I’m looking for Coach Elliott to tell me something or give me a tweak or give me a tip to better my game. Now I’m looking forward to that so it’s not as daunting.”

While Thompson is far along in his development at receiver now, he had a lot to learn when he initially switched positions. Most of the receivers he played with them are still on the team, guys who were instrumental in helping him as shifted to receiver from quarterback, which has obviously worked out well for all involved.

“It’s helped massively,” Thompson said of his relationship with the receivers and the help they provided when he switched positions. “Billy Kemp’s one of the first guys I connected with when I got here, when I was still a quarterback. He and (Dontayvion) Wicks really helped bring me through into the receiver room, when I was making that transition from quarterback to receiver. I asked those guys for pointers, and how to do this and how to do that, all the time. And the relationship has just grown since then.”

Speaking of the receiver room, the 2022 group, if healthy, is probably the best group of pass catchers Virginia has had, maybe ever. Last year Thompson, Wicks, and Kemp, among others, helped quarterback Brennan Armstrong set a slew of school passing records and lifted the Hoos to one of the top passing attacks in the nation. Now, with 2020 sensation Lavel Davis back from a knee injury, the arrow continues to point up for this group. Thompson knows that the more deep threats the team has, the more it will help him get open across the middle.

“That’s really big to have a deep threat out there, a guy that tall, that fast that can take the top off a defense,” he said of Davis’ return this year. “Also Dontayvion Wicks is still there, and you have me and Billy on the inside. You can’t really double-team anyone and I think that’s going to be really good for us.”

In addition to his exploits in the passing game, Thompson has demonstrated his ability to run the football, too. In his two seasons at UVa, he has rushed for nearly 500 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging more than 6 yards per carry. Last year Thompson transitioned into more of a typical wide receiver role with less emphasis on carrying the football, and it remains to be seen whether that trend will continue, or the new staff will try to get him some carries.

“Maybe not as much, but we’ll be able to get the ball to everyone in different ways,” Thompson said when asked if he would be running the ball out of the backfield as much this season. “We’re still installing our offense, so we’re just going to have to wait and see what it looks like this year.”

His size and skillset make him a great fit for any offense. He is big enough to line up outside, is tough enough to line up inside and run routes across the middle or help in run blocking, and he’s also comfortable lining up in the backfield or even taking snaps directly. When asked whether he expects to be moving around as much or if he will find himself a more permanent home, Thompson feels like it will be the former.

“It still varies, depending on the personnel group and the formation,” he said of where he expects to line up. “But I feel like our offense is going to be multiple so I’m going to be lining up all over the place.”

With the dog days of fall camp behind them, and the season fast approaching, it’s time for the final preparations and focus on the details for the Wahoos. Thompson and Co. take the field next weekend against Richmond and despite the up-and-down nature of fall camp, Virginia’s senior wideout is confident that the Hoos will be ready when kickoff comes.

“I feel like we’re going to be exactly where we need to be when the season starts,” he said. “I feel like we’re getting in that rhythm just at the right time.”