In an interesting move, former major league outfielder Bubba Thompson is going back to school… to play college football.

According to AL.com, Thompson will play quarterback at South Alabama next fall.

Bubba Thompson has enrolled at South Alabama and has joined the Jaguars football team as a backup player, AL.com has learned.

Thompson, who turns 27 in June, was an all-state quarterback at McGill-Toolen Catholic School in Mobile in 2016 but has spent the last eight seasons playing professional baseball

Thompson, a former first-round pick of the Texas Rangers, made his major league debut with Texas in 2022. In total, he appeared in 109 big league games for the Rangers and Cincinnati Reds. He played in just 17 games for the Reds in 2024, hitting just .111 in limited action.

He is a .232 big league hitter his entire life. He fared better in the minors, hitting .263 with 52 home runs. He has not officially filed his retirement papers, but this seems to indicate the possible end of his baseball career.

Thompson will be one of several players trying out both sports, although it’s rare for someone to go to college after eight years of professional baseball.

Russell Wilson, Brandon Weeden and Chris Weinke are just examples of players who do both. Of course, Brian Jordan, Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson both played in the Major League/NFL.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was selected in the first round by the Athletics, but ultimately chose football, where he was the No. 1 overall pick.

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