So you've probably done a couple of like real interviews since you've gotten here, real time being at Texas Established University, Nebraska established University. This is not that we are. We have no idea what we're doing. This is this is a second time ever doing this.
Do you know what this is? To my right, Will what's his last name? Do you know what?
Like the history behind Will Compton is what he's done for this university.
Oh my god. Okay, hey listen, we'll have to cut that out because we don't want the people to be upset. So William Earl Compton, he's from Missouri St. Louis.
Yeah, well our south but Bontaire, Bontaire, Missouri, like like a drive past town. Not in a disrespectful way. Your boy was in that too. This man was all state wide receiver, believe it or not. You know what I'm saying.
I know you're looking at how pale he is. You're like, there's no, there's no way he could be that. But he actually was. And yeah, you can count him, no question.
This man gets a call from so many universities, four star athlete, right, and he chose to go to the one and only Nebraska Corn Huskers black shirt guy.
How many letters foot him? Is your letter? Oh? Four? Yeah? Yeah? Four time?
Yeah, I'm sure he was all big ten, honorable mention, undrafted grinder, just finished your nine the league?
Do we get it for? Will Compton? Please hate? I hate you guys? What do you mean? How about the guests? We have one? Yeah?
Well, hey, listen, you've you've had a So you you were at Texas before this, it's been a bit of not probably what you weren't expecting going out of high school, right, like you're probably expecting, go Texas. Let's start four years, first round pick bing bang, boom, right, move it. What was what was your process like being in Texas and
then making the decision to come here. We're gonna circle this obviously a whole bunch, So just talk to me about like you you uh, transferring it first and we're getting your time in Texas.
Uh, I mean as a as a whole.
There's a big backstory because uh, I grew up like fifteen minutes north of Norman. So honestly, my whole life I thought it was gonna be playing football ou And it's kind of funny now I'm here.
But yeah, so my dad went there.
Charles Thompson, he played nineteen eighty seven, eighty eight, played against Nebraska Game of the Century game. Yeah, that was his first start, and he ended up in Lincoln being Nebraska went onto the Orange Bowl National Championship against Miami, and then he yeah, and then brother, So, my brother is Kendel Thompson and we're both from obviously from Oklahoma.
And he said that he was with you will and Washington. Yeah, you said, Kendel Thompson. Yes, yeah. So so he played quarterback.
At ou in Utah and then uh towards a cl and switched to receiver and went undrafted, made the team. Sean McVay whenever he was in Washington, signed him as a free agent for two years. And then he was with you and then and then when Shawn went to La to the Rams, my brother went to the Rams as well for a couple of years. And so he said, to tell you, what's a small world, man, a small world. So but that was kind of like my that was like,
you know, my story growing up. And then growing up, I really liked Clemson because of Deshaun Watson and yeah, they're really good.
They've been studs for a while. Right.
And then when I was in middle school, I really liked Marcus Fariota and Oregan's offense and Chip Kelly Scott Frost, and so I don't know, I kind of just been watching nice offenses, and so I always saw I was going to Oregon or Clemson or OEU the whole time.
And then when Lincoln Riley came to whenever he went to OU, you know, I think it was like twenty fifteen or whatever, and you know, you have Baker and all those guys, and I was real close with them, and i'd actually go work out with them, and with Baker in the endoor, like I'd go throw to the receivers and Stirling Shepherd and Kenney Steals and throw at Baker and all these guys. And they got to the point when it was time for me to get recruited.
I kind of did, like you did. I just I just kind of like filled everything out and just visited around the country and just was trying to take my time and figure out, Okay, what teams actually want me, you know, who would be the best fit, you know, yeah, not just trying to like, oh, hey, you know, these guys are gonna come here, because he's from here or right, So I kind of I had like twenty nine and thirty offers in high schools.
Damn weird flex all right, and so I end up I end up visiting thirty offers.
Yeah, sorry, I'm hung up. Keep going, I'm hung up.
And then I end up visiting a lot of schools and uh, I don't know that kind of I liked. I had never been to Texas, but so my brother and my dad they're actually the ones that are like, you should go visit and see if you like it. I had never been to Austin, which is crazy because Oklahoma, right, and nobody knows that. So people always like, well, how'd you grow up in Oklahoma? You end up at Texas? Well, Honestly, it was kind of the advice from you know, my brother and my dad, Like, so you so.
Your brother and dad secretly hate Oklahoma.
No, they don't, but I mean they just they just are like, you know, if the team is offering you and they're talking about, you know, you can come in
and play. At the time, they kind of were going back and forth between quarterbacks that had Sam Allen in Shane Buchew, So I thought maybe I could come in, you know, compete, but obviously, like you said, things didn't go like I thought when I got there waiting my turn, sat as a backup for three years, started this past season, and then decided to leave, you know, after going through three different coaching staffs and changes and stuff like that.
So that's kind of the backstory.
But then coming here was a whole story because when I was in the portal, I finally got in the portal like two weeks after the end of the season, so it was like December sixteenth. I went into the portal, and then the first thing I did was I called Adrian just to see, like, you know, how is it like in Nebraska. I want to know, like they're real and not like you know, coach talk. Yeah, he says, And he said that he enjoyed it.
You know.
Obviously he was here the last few years and.
We came out in the same class, and he said he just needed a fresh start, and I was like, well, I kind of feel the same way, and so honestly, I was like, we're just going to switch. So he ended up leaving, and I kind of told him, like, you know, the rass is gonna be high on my list, but it'll probably come down between Nebraska, Auburn, Ou.
Just different schools.
And so I took two to three weeks honestly in like December, and I kind of just watched film and research and said, these are the teams that are gonna need quarterbacks or you know, I have different you know, openings or opportunities, and here's kind of what I'm looking for.
So I kind of just like.
Made it like a legit, like a whiteboard, like a wish list, and I just kept like going down the list and crossing teams off, and then yeah, I end up Nebraska.
So you end up with those three teams? What about Nebraska? Was it that was like, Okay, this is the offense that I want to plan. Like what was the drawing factor.
For you to go to Lincoln?
I had never even been to the LEAKU And my first time actually like being here was legit when I drove down and moved in. Oh really, Yeah, I drove like we started school and like January nineteenth or something, and I came down on the eighteenth to like ten pm at night, and that was my first time. Yeah, I didn't even visit, like I didn't need to really, like you, the opportunity to come play here and just like an in front of this university and you know,
for this team. Obviously everyone said it was a big deal. I mean, I'll get to experience that in the fall. But that was probably the main factor. And then just knowing Frost and knowing that he's a good dude. And then my dad had actually his friend with with Mickey Joseph and they they actually kind of grew up together a little bit, and.
I mean in high school.
They both visited OU back in the eighties and they were both going to decide between OU and Nebraska. So they had a relationship way back then, and so if you fast forward it to now, Mickey Joseph was like, you gotta get Casey here. You gotta get Casey here. So finally I was like, okay, like I'll see what it's about. And I was talking to Frost. And then when Mark Whipple decided to come here, it was like a no brainer. And I was like, the dude, he came from the NFL. He likes to throw the ball
a lot. You know, you're just throw that rock. Yeah, And then I reached out to Kenny Pickett and I was actually doing zoom meetings with teams every week. Oh really yeah, over the break, like, teach me the offense. Let me watch him film with you guys. Yeah, I'll call the different quarterbacks that played for Like, I was doing a lot of research and so I felt comfortable
with it, and I called Kenny. He was like, you're gonna love the offense, and he kind of sent me some installs and we watched film and honestly, like I didn't tell my family or the coach and Steff when I was playing on committing I just I just woke up one day and did it.
Damn.
Oh no.
I want to go back to like when you said you were on the phone with Adrian, because number one, I think it speaks to like his type of character, because he's an awesome dude, somebody who was able to talk to you on the phone and say he just needed a fresh start and had a lot of good things. But I did read the article you talked about the ups and downs. What were downs that he talked about?
Was it playing in front of and playing at a place like Nebraska, Like, what were some what were some waves in those conversations that you guys are.
Just like you, just like your typical, Like, uh, just like your typical like football fan.
I mean, you know you get football for a long time. Yeah.
When it's good here, Yeah, when it's good, everyone loves you. When it's bad, you know, people point the finger at you, they criticize you, all this stuff. You know, I've gotten hate messages and crazy dms and stuff like that on social media. When I was at Texas this past season. If we lost a game or if I played back like it was in in the world. But then when you play good, it's like your phone can't stop dinging. And so that's just kind of how he said it was,
and honestly, I'm used to that. So I was like, okay, well, and then I asked some of the players. I was like, what's the worst thing that goes on or that you don't like about it there? Because like everyone wants to talk about what's good about a school.
I was like, what do you not like?
And all they said was like the weather, And then they were like, sometimes frost makes es do like practices out in the cold, or sometimes you know, we ask them for stuff we don't get and I'm like, I'm like, that's that's the worst that you have to say about like I'm good with that, then, like I'm committing.
Weather can be tough air at times and wind blows hard. You were dealing with it.
Today, But.
For Miles, if you sit at a quarter you can see the whole state. But it's seasonal. It's like whenever you're ever going to play a game where it's a blizzard.
Like, oh right, right, right, yeah, for sure, I'm just speaking to the whole winter thing.
You walk around that that.
Side of the stadium when you're going to study hall and that wind smash in the face.
It's a different beast out there. But it's like Oklahoma though. It's like Oklahoma is super windy. It's literally snowing in Oklahoma City and tomorrow yeah.
And they got like massive tornadoes tornadoes here like that. No, yeah, And then I was like rebuilding every right.
Next year, Like I mean next week it'll be seventy degrees here, It'll be sevent degrees in Oklahoma.
It's literally almost like the same weather. Oh so you're not affected by that. I grew kind of like it. It's like the great planes, yeah in it. Yeah.
Can you can you talk about entering in the portal because that's super super new for us, right and and honestly, and you know it, it gets a bad rapid times because a lot.
Of kids enter it.
And then before you answer that, what was the stat you said, like, so many guys enter the portal expecting to be picked up by these big power five schools.
Right, expecting for like a situation to happen, and the majority it doesn't work out the way they think it does. Yeah, obviously for you it's a little different. But can you speak on the turmoil you were going through with Texas because when Taylor and I were little afraid to bash them, you know, when Taylor and I were like doing our research on you. Obviously had a promising start at the Alamo Bowle a couple of years ago. Right then you
go throughout this next year. It doesn't necessarily work out the way you want it to. You got a new coach and coach Sark he comes in, You don't have the starting job opening the season. Yeah, you end up taking over, but you're coming off the bench, and obviously it does.
The whole year doesn't unfold the way you want. I saw you.
You had injuries you were dealing with, and it just didn't for whatever reason, the stars weren't aligning for you, and then you decide to go into the portal, which can look like, you know, does he just not want to competer play?
And I'll let you say all this stuff.
But from the outside looking in, they signed two huge star, five star recruits. The writing's on the wall and kind of necessarily, like, if I'm reading this stuff, it's like, well, maybe Sark doesn't necessarily mess with him because he hasn't begetting certain opportunities this, that, and the other.
You know your story, I don't, but.
Can you speak on being somebody who's transferred from a Texas to a Nebraska Obviously it's working out for you now, but speak.
On that, right, I mean, honestly, it was the first two or three years didn't go the way I wanted to because I had to sit behind Sam Ellinger. And then I mean, you kind of you can hear guys talk about, you know, my leadership with my work ethic, or how I perform at practice or the stuff that I do in the off season, you know, set on seven. But I mean, until you doing it in the game, it doesn't really matter. And so in twenty twenty, at
the end of the year. Coming off the Alamo Bowl, Sam kind of got banged up in the first half and he hurt his shoulder and it was his last game in his career, which at the time nobody knew that but me and him pretty much in his family.
But we were on the bench and he was like, you got it, you know, you lit it up.
Yeah, he was like, this is your this is your jam destroy and and I went in and then tied the Alamo Bowl record and had four touchdowns in the third like the third quarter, and I was like, Okay, this is pretty cool, Like what a happy ending to you know, to the end of the year.
So going into the off season.
Like can go to the office feeling like the man, Yeah this show?
Yeah cool?
Right, And so I, like I me personally, like me, my family, all the players, like we kind of thought like, okay, case he's gonna be the guy.
And then, like you said, the new staff came in.
And when you get a new staff there like everyone's clean slate and you got to compete, and like everyone had to compete, and so it's like okay, not scared of competition, Like you know, I've done this before. I had to go through a QB battle in high school my freshman year to start varsity, and so I was like, okay, cool, like it's only.
Gonna make me a better person, better player.
And then throughout the off season, like honestly, I feel like that I was like winning the job.
And then like when August came around.
Like I was going first, Like we would rotate between ones and twos, but I would almost always go first, every every time, every week. And then when August hit, like I started to go with the twos a little more, and I'm like, okay, nine days out from the first game, like something, you know, something has to be going on. So then like a week before the game, I just kept trying to go meet with the coach, like you know when you're basically like when you're going to a started.
We played next, we played a week from today. Oh you're trying to get some communication.
Yeah, I'm just like, you know, I've been working all off season with the receivers, and so it was me trying to go communicate, trying to go meet. And then a few days later, like after classes started, they called us back in and was like told us, you know, we're going to start with Hutton card. But you guys are basically going to compete and rotate the first two or three games because it's a non conference, so we'll kind of try it like an NFL preseason.
That's the most colors thing I've ever heard.
Yeah, but the crazy, So the crazy part, like that didn't happen, so like he would. He played like the first three quarters of the first game against Louisiana, and then the next week we went to play at Arkansas and like it was super they were pretty good. It was super loud, and I'm thinking, like both the games, I'm thinking, I'm gonna go in the first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, and I finally going in the third or
four quarter. Obviously I'm frustrated, but I'm like, Okay, I got this whole year to compete, and I got this whole year to battle back, and honestly like my performance in the third and fourth quarter both of those games,
like want me the starting job. And so we woke up the next day and everybody was like rioting and protests and like you need to start Casey, you need to start Casey and Vince Young and Earl Campbell like all these people, you know, these Texas, Like yeah, they were saying that, Yeah, it was a whole thing, like on Twitter and all this stuff. And I came in for meetings and practice on Monday and they're like, you're starting.
You know.
I kind of found out from Twitter and then like I think it was one of the ball boys.
Which is super interesting anyway, Texas like that kind of university would honestly, like I found out on Twitter because I came in for practice like on Monday, and uh, coaches like, hey, I want to talk to you at some point today.
In my head, I'm thinking he's probably going to tell me what I think he's gonna tell me. And then after practice stuff always leads around there, which is crazy
but in sports in general. But after practice, I was throwing routes to the receivers on Monday, and then we usually have media and press conferences, like right after Monday, Monday's walk through practice, and I was throwing with the receivers and then I got off the practice field and the manager who does the footballs he was like congrats, and I was like, what are you talking about.
He's like, you're starting this week. I was like, dude, you're joking in no way.
He's like, yeah, you didn't see on Twitter, it already leaked, and like I went back in the locker room and my phone was blowing up, and then I went to do media, and then I came back a few hours later and finally met with the coach and he was like, obviously you probably know a boy now, but we're gonna go with you for.
This week and we'll see how it goes.
And like the next four or five or six games, like I was like leading the Big twelve and passing passing efficiency and QBR and touchdowns all this stuff. And then we get to Week six Oklahoma, and uh, I had five touchdowns and no interceptions and we were about like twenty one points.
I'm like, okay, this this couldn't go any better.
And then they end up coming back and oh yeah, Caylen Williams went in and then we went into I mean we basically was that the cues, but yeah.
They benched him.
They brought trash and he brought a heisman, yes, like a hes going into the season and we were about twenty won and then they came back and beat us, and uh, honestly, that was like that whole game was crazy, like something I'll never forget.
But in that game, I was throwing a screen route to Bijon on a third down and my hand kind of got caught in a defensive lineman's helmet and just like twisted all the way back. And like, I just played the rest of the season on a partially torn and just located thumb.
It was like severely sprained, and nobody knew about it.
And so I still started ten games in a row, but like you said, it didn't go the way I wanted to because I wasn't able to be my best some games, like one game, I would go out there in the first quarter and like could barely complete you know, an out route, or somebody would hit my thumb again, and you know, either coach would pull me or I would tell coach, like, you know, obviously I hit my
thumb again. And then maybe like the next week, I'll go there and throw seven touchdowns, and it just it just was up and down the yeah, And so obviously that's not the way I.
Wanted to go.
Me being like looking out for my career, I'm like, you know, maybe I should shut it down, or maybe I should like go public and say I hurt my thumb. But then honestly, like the competitive nature of me. I was like, no, I'm gonna play, you know, I'm gonna play for my team and you know, try to do, you know, the best I can, because I'm also not only helping my team, but I'm helping myself, you know, if I decided to, you know, leave after the season.
So it's kind of what my mindset was.
And then I got an MRI like October and then and then again at the end of season, like right around Thanksgiving, like week twelve, and the injury basically didn't heal at all. If anything, I might have got worse. And so right after the season, like I shut it down. I didn't throw for like eight weeks, like two months, and that was the longest I haven't thrown since I was like four or five years old. And then that's when I was like, I'm going in the portal. That's
kind of what it was like. It wasn't anything that like it was too much back and forth with the competition. It wasn't that because I started ten weeks in a row, even with my thumb injury, like they still started me ten games and so I kind of was like, you know, obviously they believe in me, but I just felt like it was time to move on.
And that's kind of what it was that we went in the transfer portal because you're you hit your thumby, spent two months off of it, and you're like, I shouldn't be at Texas anymore.
No, No, I went to transfer portal because we had basically three different offenses in the three years I was there. It was just too much, Like I just feel like there's a lot of like quick turnover at that place. Like there's a lot of like obviously there's a lot of pressure on the coaching staffs. Yeah, and the head coach at Texas. I mean, yeah, you're looking about it. Yeah, I was gonna say they've had how many different head coaches and offensive coordinators?
I mean when we were in high school, Yeah, Texas was like the place to go. It wasn't.
It wasn't anything like anything bad happened or you know, something behind closed doors. It was more so like I was there for three and a half years, I sat away in my turn season kind of didn't pan out the way I thought it was going to go, the way we thought it was going to go. Had like two or three different coaching staffs, and so it was kind of like, you know, maybe it's time for me
to move on. And so, like I told you guys before we started this, like my parents and my FA we didn't even really want me to leave at first or just come back and you know, and then so honestly, yeah, right when the season ended, I kind of waited like a week or two and then I put my name in the portal like the day of signing day or like right around. So it was before like they were even gonna go get quinn yours, but I had already known.
They communicate like, we're gonna go take one or two quarterbacks, right because it was basically just me and Hudson Card. We were the only It was me, Hudson Card and a guy named Charles Wright.
We only had.
Three scholarship quarterbacks, and so they're like, you guys, we got to go get two more quarterbacks. Basically, we're gonna bring in a high school guy in one transfer. I didn't know who it was gonna be yet, and I ended up finding out on social media as well from Twitter after the fact.
Yeah, So were you nervous going into the portal, like knowing what a perception could be would be.
I mean, honestly, like nobody knows this, but like I went into the portal at the end of my freshman year, like December twentieth, like the eighteen, at the end of my freshman year, I was gonna leave because, like you said, I came into high school thinking and all the recruits thinking, I'm gonna come in as a freshman and I'm gonna play.
Oh yeah, everyone thinks.
And then I was behind Sam Ellener and I'm like, there's like he was he was leading the team, but he was like a coach basically on the field.
Like there's no way he's not going to start the rest of the next three years, right.
And I told my parents and my dad was like, no, you need to stay, you need to stick it out. I was like, Dad, I'm just telling you, they're not gonna sit this guy. I'm not even gonna get to compete with him. And I ended up being right. But I'm glad that I stayed and kind of pushed through it because it helped me just like you know, learn about myself and kind of grow as a player on and off the field. But but Sam and I are real cool to this day, and I'm cool with all the.
Quarterbacks and stuff.
But so I went in the portal December twenty eighteen, and I was gonna leave, and I was in the portol of the whole winter break my freshman year. And then I came back and I stayed, and then I went another.
Are you in the portal? And nothing was happening. No, no, no, no, it was.
I mean, there are a lot of teams that were offering, but it just like wasn't the teams that I wanted.
Is when you in the portal, is it public news right away or is it kind of like quiet?
It's like if you it's like if you put your name in and saying you're going to resign or something or you're going to quit as soon as you as soon as you basically go just to the compliance office.
So this is how it works.
Either email compliance are going to the office and you just notify them and like like sign this paper saying that you're gonna like notify the team that you're gonna you have intent to transfer or explore your options is what it's called. And then within forty eight hours they have they have forty eight hours to kind of put your name in a database and every team in the country gets notified like that, You're really basically like a free agent.
It's like free agency, no legit. That's how we talk about it now. And uh.
And so when I put my name in like botant, like when I put my name in honestly, like I had law schools reaching out within the first couple of days, like the first time my freshman year, like UCLA reached out, like Chip Kelly, Oregon Utah reached shout and won, but
they weren't the guys that I was. That I was there the same day, everything changes and I had small talk from from OU back then and Lincoln Rally and kind of their coaching staff there, and then Houston and West Virginia and like just different teams around the country reached out. That was my freshman year. And then I don't know, I just didn't like my options, and so I was like, I'd rather stay at Texas, like you said,
and play big time college football. And uh, just knowing that I would have a chance to play against OU and the Red River rivalry Week six is like one of the biggest ribbies in college football, I was like,
I'm staying so that's why I stayed. And then and then this past time I put my name on the portal, I was like out to eat or something with my family, like a Friday morning, Friday afternoon, and then I went to go, uh, get treatment and work out at this gym in Oklahoma City and then like all my weights to the gym and like during my workout and right after, like I have my phone in the ox and you know, these teams are like emailing me because you can put
your email your phone number down. I told compliance I was, I just put both, and I wish I would just put my email.
Down basically because.
Yeah, yeah, because like West Virginia like just coaches with text and literally text and call you be like, hey, this is coach such and such. I'm the offensive coordinator at whatever school. Give me a call, and like it's just like every hour, every day. And it was like
that probably for the first few weeks. And then finally I just told all the schools like, hey, this is kind of like I kind of already know like where I'm looking at and so here's here's my list, and out of respect, like I'm not gonna waste your time, right, but I just started doing zoom interviews and stuff like that, and I kind of had a list of schools that I was talking to every day, and then I just told them like, hey, I'm going to make a decision
after New Year's cause I wanted to watch I wanted to watch all the teams playing the bowl games and see what quarterbacks would say or leave and see if there would be more coaching changes.
So that's how I went about it.
When you put yourself in that answer portal after your freshman year as somebody coming in, like we were joking about earlier, every freshman who comes in thinks are going to like be the man and it doesn't work out for him. You're somebody who put yourself in the portal then, and putting yourself in the portal now going through all the adversity and the shit that you've went through to now get to this point you are now at a fresh start at Nebraska. How do you feel like you've
developed mentally from doing things like that? Right? Like, to me, in my head, like you putting yourself in the portal as a freshman and and not kind of like being exactly how you might want it to, and you're like, Okay, I'm going to stay here, and you're kind of playing the whole you know, I want you want your time. You've you've done your time by being backup doing all this stuff. This last year happens in unfolds with Texas. You've now made your decision and you're in your last year.
How do you feel like you've kind of grown mentally?
I mean, I think it definitely helped me just like be more.
Organized and like thorough and like will kind of just like well thought out and know exactly like what I'm looking for and how to approach situations. I would say that's definitely what it helped me. I would just say going through a lot of different adversity, like you talked about different personalities, working with different coaching staffs, and every year it's a new team.
You know, you got new guys in the locker room.
So I think it just helped me as a player and honestly as a quarterback. And you know, now I kind of know like Okay, here's what works, you know, on the field, and here's what on and off the field, Like here's what works in the organization, here's what didn't work.
And every year.
I'm like, Okay, did I get better as a quarterback? And I'm like, yes, did I grow as a person? And the answer always was yes every year, So I didn't regret kind of just sitting and waiting my turn. But I don't know, like you talked about, I heard you talk about with Garrett. You know a lot of teams in college football, it's a big melting pot of different nationalities and ethnicities and just different you know, type
of players and personalities. And honestly, that's kind of what it helped me just figure out, you know, who I am as a person and how I can lead and kind of build with other players and other coaches and how I connect with them.
So I would say it helped me do that.
And then it kind of just helped me grow, like with my maturity of what I'm looking for and kind of how to be a professional.
So that's really what it helped me do.
And then being coming here, like I mean, I just I love the team here and I love Coach Frost and everyone.
In the organization is really cool and you know, so I really enjoy it.
When you first when you first got here, you see you love the team now, Like, but what was that process like, like when you like first day of school, right, yeah, kind of hang out you're helping.
Hey, Yeah, I felt weird at first, Like I was walking around. I feel weird, dude, because everyone already knows each other. Hey. And also guy.
Right right right, and you're you're you're coming in because Adrian leaves. And Adrian's like, I think he's at the top of all purpose where did he got yards Kansas State? And he's somebody who's been in multi year captain, He's somebody who's been very ingrained in this culture, in this team. He leaves, you come in. It does like what he's saying, it's got to feel we're you're nervous.
I wasn't nervous, but the first few days, like you talked about, it was like I had that feeling since like he like when I started to high school.
I think as a freshman maybe like walking high school too.
Yeah, and it's just like kind of like when you walk into high school and you're like, Okay, I don't know what to expect, and and then you're like going to college as a freshman, You're like, I don't know what to expect, so come in and hear like I walked in like not even not even three or four weeks prior. I was literally in the Texas Facility in Austin in my apartment, going there every day, going to the stadium, working out in the weight room.
And then three weeks later, like I'm.
Walking in Nebraska's.
For just pulling them to a place you've never seen before. Yeah, I guess I'll just go here. Yeah, history, Like it's just weird, like everything. For the first couple of weeks, it was like I got to pull up. I lived five minutes down the street.
In apartment, but like I had to map, had to get here every day, and then like walking around in the facility like I'm lost for like the first week. Yeah, and then the guys, like I remember the the guys
would because I was. I wasn't cleared at first when I first got here, so you got to like do your testing and you know, do all these like different tests and stuff before you can get cleared, and these meetings, and I just been walking around and people were introducing me to the players, like during their workouts and lifts, and they'd all be talking and dapping each other up and then they'd see me.
They'd be like, what, what's up like you know, just kind of quiet, like I'm just trying to figure each other out.
Yeah, but I want at the same time, like when you're a quarterback, like you know, the receivers are kissing ass right away, yeah, because they want to get that ball. And all the skilled guys are gonna kind of talk to you. So you walk in like if you were just like an offens linement, be like block nerd kind of I do your thing, kind of find your friends on your own hand.
That's what they So the old lineman and the receivers, they came up to me right away because they lash.
But the rest of the guys, like the defense and my locker is actually like right by, like Quentin Newsome and like Miles Farmer and Travis Vocalect and like these are guys who are players and their starters, and just being around those guys and hearing them talk and kind of like joke and I'm just like going to the corner and putting my stuff on the the first few days and then once I started to get to know the guys and kind of like hang around, and then
it got a lot better obviously, you know, very fast. But the first few days for sure. I was like, dude, I'm just gonna be kind of over here in the corner observe observed.
Yeah, fly on the wall type of deal. Let's tough do that first forty eight hours is kind of yeah.
It was like the first few days and then I would say that second week like whenever I got clear, like I think everyone was kind of like, okay, boom, we know who he is.
Now he knows us, he knows our names. Let's get it going.
Like the workouts started, and I started to hold my own meetings and you know.
Field sessions with the guys.
I took the old line out to eat at Rhodizios and then I took them to Round One bowling and that was.
Rod Is that like a nebasket only place, Like it's like back there, it's a nice little deal. Yeah.
When I did that, like that was kind of like and I had the idea. I was like, because I would do it at Texas. I would take my starting o linement out to eat, like after a win, and then I would like, get uh, because I'm I'm with partner with tiff Streets.
It's a cookie company after the Jackets, after winter.
After a win, I would get tip streets delivered to the facility for the whole like all the coaches and players, and.
Then the coaches too, Yeah, you know exactly what you're doing.
And then I would take the.
And so and so when I got here, I was like, I'm gonna take the whole lineman out to eat. And then trying to take them bowling like that was really fun. That helped me like get to know them for sure. And then after that, like after that day, like kind of the next week, like they're like, you know, cases are boys for deal, Like I knew them well and I knew the receivers and then it was like it took me like a couple of weeks or a month
to get to the defense. So it's been fun. But now that practice has started, like I love talking.
Speak to that stomach. No question, dude, I think it's time for it's time. I think I got the best question. Actually, I don't know if I do. We could do the same thing. The fun thing is we can do whatever we want.
I'm just excited to talk about Dukes. Yeah, Dukes is pretty outstanding. Dude over there in the corner. So Duke's is like this little is this company that there's a men's body wash, but it's like instead of all that bullshit that like the other companies playing. I'm not going to say brand names, but you know what I'm talking about, Arrives with the ulchmice that they put the stuff up there and it's kind of it feels good and it
smells nice. But then fifty years down the road to take an extra and they like, hey, by the way, see word, and you know, I get a kind of a bit of a predicament.
Dukes doesn't have none of that stuff in there.
That the fresh Fresh two thousand dude, Yeah, you got that little good of the jar.
Litt just says thick on it, dude, you see that.
Yeah, we got the thick high viscosity body wash.
If you walk, if you walk past a girl in a bar with this on right here, game set match games over citrus.
Musk, cedar wood, cedarwood. That just says rich to me. In the ingredients of premium, they not again like we're not gonna mention the but.
The ingredients are clean. They're all about being masculine, dude.
They're about athletes, military tradesmen, guys like ourselves.
Yeah, passed me that h one of the Yeah, the biggest brick of So.
Do we wear this? Do I live in this? I take all my clothes on. If I just put this stuff on my body, I walked enough. Yeah, you came in. You dap me up slow and probably exhaled. Like if you inhaled, you would have noticed everything.
Hey, tell them about the tell them about your feet, dude, So listen, and I take this stuff right here. And this is like kind of like an idea category. So maybe you can tell me if you really like it or not. But like, there's not a lot of features, especially in this area that's like really you can call
home about. But these bad boys right here, these ones I'm thinking about starting only fans like a feet thing, you know what I'm saying, Like, put some flowers around it, dress it up real nice, and then put the duke's baked bottles soaked there and then rub it between the feet and then have will smell them.
I think that'll sell you think you will? Dude? What do I get to smell them? Every time? You gotta say I like that.
I got some funny stories when we start talking about it, and I actually, oh.
I'm down to here. That for sure that can be our duke.
So this final question Duke Cannon, or maybe final two questions presented by Duke Cannon. Let's get into the NIL talk, Like, give us a couple of ANIL stories, because number one is all of this stuff, all the stuff that we're showing you. It's going in this awesome military gray looking box and it's yours. So this is our NIL deal to you is free product for the boy for real.
But I would love to see because I did see you talking about the opportunities that Nebraska for NIL are a lot better than Texas.
Please elaborate and dive into that.
Yeah, so I would just say that when I say opportunities, I mean like how often and how much that these plays, like these companies are willing to Well.
We talking doing cash money, so we are we talking. We were talking about phone numbers.
You give us something like you can come here, you can come to Nebraska. I mean, first off, when I first got here, they told me when I found out that like seventeen or eighteen different Fall players had vehicles, I was like, that's unheard of.
It's how we do it here, man. Yeah, that's like with like.
A free place to stay and like at Texas it was me b John Robinson and one defensive started like three three guys.
Because they keep it closer to this, all the all the all the all the rich guys.
But not even just Nebraska athletic. There's like seven or eighty different.
People across all sports that have like either apartment or a car, or they're getting in io deals like women's.
Basketball, women's golf team. Yeah, they're pretty outstanding. They did a great job.
So that's what I mean when I say that, like more more, more athletes across all the sports are getting blessed with opportunities. And just like the numbers and the how often you know you're able to get these deals is like way more than I've ever seen.
Gonna say numbers. You're gonna make six figures as oh my as what fuck?
As a player as a player here, if you're a starter here on football team, you can make over six figures.
If I made six figures, I did eight hundred and fifty dollars scholarship check and I thought I was living because n was like three fifty three and after utilities four fifty.
That's four yea.
At the rail Nebraska legit needs to be in the playoffs every single year.
You're gonna make six figures. Figure it out.
It's a slow burn, it's a slow climb, but we figure out. We know where we have to land.
I'm more of a typhoon type of guy if you want to make six figures right out of high school, so you're automatically doing better than all of your friends. Your friends are up to their neck in student loans and they're dying, and you just say, oh, that's weird. I make six figures now, and I drive whatever the fuck I want. Come to Nebraska. All right, you got history, you got dope uniforms. By the way, the equipment boys in the back. I don't know if you guys saw it,
but they gave us our very own jerseys. Will's is cool, but Will's already been here. I got my air Ferio in Jersey. Didn't even play here. All right, I'm gonna need six figures for that. That does speak down to take care of the boys. They take care of us where they made you a jersey. Hopefully Michigan's watching this and I get a little something next week.
Oh that'd be nice. But the thing is, I think much more prestigious claims.
Now, I think now any any athlete and any student athlete, you should be able to make six figure is if they really like are working on their brand. Like you guys saw about you got Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, like snap There's so many different ways for you to monetize now off of your Snapchat.
But I don't like Snapchat. That let me get a loose lap, you know what I'm saying. I don't do the snapchat.
But it's funny because like I don't really I don't really go out of my way to like try to do all this other stuff. It just comes to me. And like here in Nebraska, I would say that's what
the opportunities are. Just yeah, it's crazy. But this past year when NIL started, like I think at Texas, like I think after the album both performance in twenty twenty, Like I just think all of the people around the United States and like the the Texas fans like in Texas, like they're offered me and io deals in like July August,
before I was even named the starter. And you know, last year, before I even got to Nebraska, I worked with like C four Energy Drink, which is a partner with Kimris, Scott, Tip Streets, the Cookie Company.
Yeah for showing Yeah, Roman, it's like a it's.
Like as they want to want Yeah, no, they wanted to do there.
They're all hair team, so I did.
I'm sure you were like, hey, let's keep it to just the hair stuff. Let's not go down below the bell.
Yeah. Well actually there's there's rules, and I know you can't do certain stuff. It can't be anything including like vice, sex, alcohol.
What's vice?
Like like cigarettes like Miami vice, like going to Miami. No, just like yeah, like clubs and bars.
Do what like the.
NFL actually just changed that stuff too, so like and are allowing like alcohol and stuff.
So you can't do that like that. This is those are rules.
They have rules where you can't work with like any alcohol, any substance anything at all. You can't promote like clubs and bars and so they have different rules. I would say Kim's Scott c four uh, Tip Streets and like all the trading card companies last year it was like Topsy well yeah right, wild Card, Onyx, all these different trails cards.
You got to sit there and sign for hours. Huh yeah bro.
When I was like getting rid for the draft, I think said, I'm weaving twelve K.
Yeah, but you guys have like twelve thousand of these little stickers. You're like, okay, yeah, but oh I was like, I'm gonna murder this. My rist hurt so damn bad. No you're not. I was like, I've never seen twelve k before. This is fire. I would try to force six figures in college, Bro.
I would try to force myself to do like at least two hundred autographs a day. And yeah, I would sit because I was like, when I get home from practice or at the before I go to bed, I'm
gonna do one hundred, two hundred a day. I probably took almost half the season just signing the autographs, and by the end of season, like I had, I sent them all back like you talked about, it was like two thousand signatures, four thousand signatures, ten thousand signatures, and you're like, dang, I didn't realize like how much that is, you know, And so that was crazy And so I had to do those like I was supposed to be doing them and getting them back because they give you
like thirty days to returning them.
Yeah, did you change your signature during it? Yeah, shortened it. I did the same write out my whole name, Taylor Lawan.
I did this TC see you later, and we're like, we're on to the next cursive listen.
I might not be able to read, but I could still a little bit, so I had to shorten it.
But and then since I've been here in Nebraska, Soldier Sports they're at omahall.
Oh yeah, they're phenomenal gear. They sent me a hoodie.
The material is amazing. Yes, I did a photo.
Bear yeah, man, which is like an NFT. So I'm doing with Soldier Sports. Free shoutouts to Soldier Sports. Yeah, shout out to Soldier Sports. And not from us, not from us, not from the bus went the boys guys from me for sure? No shout out from me for sure.
And then no, but I laugh about the only fans because I got an email like last week after workouts, I came looked at my phone. It was like, Casey Thompson, would you be interested in joining the only fans and monetizing off of your your name and setting your prices And They're like you could do workout, instructional videos, quarterback training,
all online stuff. Yeah, And I was like I showed everybody in the locker room, and like for like a few days, all the players are like, you're gonna do it, You're gonna do it?
Are you doing it? No? Why not, dude? Because what are you allowed to do it? Would you be allowed?
But yeah, it's like a Craigslist there's like dirty stuff on there, but it's not.
It's supposed to be like exclusive content all access, like behind the scenes.
But my whole deal is you got to be the first Q who does an only fans account.
But then I found out I found out from other people in the country, like they're obviously emailing other people, and all right, I don't think anybody's gonna do it. Well, I think it's a compliance rule. Somebody's gonna do.
It, okay, And then too, if you're allowed to.
Well, my whole thing is like anytime I see or hear about only fans and like it's what we all think. Yeah, it's like, okay, it's not doing that right, It's like he's talking about it's like having that's how you.
Get it, that's how the marketing, that's how the promotional stuff works, man.
You know.
Yeah, But then like I thought maybe that they wanted to offer me a contract like with the company, because like you can create your own website, whatever your own prices, but then like you can actually get paid by these companies. And so I was like, I just told them, like basically, what would you be offering me? Like what's the contract? Obviously I wasn't going to do it. But they're like, oh no, we just wanted you to create your own account.
Like well, that's not even like I work with real companies like you know, Ford the car dealership and you know.
Oh yeah, yeah, cut that for sure, due.
Oh and then and then Kenri Scott all these different companies.
So I'm like, yeah, I love that. I'm like, I'm not.
Doing that, but yeah, the only fans they wanted me to do it in io deal and some other different companies that honestly, like I probably I probably can make double just by signing with all these different people, but I want to be sworn about, you know, who I'm working with and stuff like that.
How do you balance You've talked about the way athletes can build their brands now through all these social platforms.
Duke's Second Question.
Suke's Second Question, for sure, brought to you by Duke dud Duke's cannon, Duke can the best duke? How do you balance that, right, because you'll be going into the season, and obviously as a young kid, as a young athlete, you're infatuated by signing autographs and making money when you know you want to keep the main thing the main thing. How do you balance building your brand and also being a football player, especially as a student athlete.
I mean, you just have to prioritize your life and your routine. And I think like for me, I use the weekends and like the off days like Sundays or Mondays to really like get on the phone with companies or email or you know, if I have to go do like a guest appearance or a photo shoot, like I'll do it on a weekend where there's like a day of no football, like you know, there's nothing on the schedule, you know, stuff like that, or even like if I need to leave.
So what I do now?
Like my routine now here in Nebraska, Like I've kind of figured out how to do that because last year everyone was new to it. I was just kind of navigating, like how much to do?
You're kind of ready to hoar yourself out for all of it. Like this money.
Like companies would ask me like what's your price for, like you know, what would you be willing to come do for a photos? Like I didn't know anything. And after you get down the phone with like NFL players and I signed with athletes first their agency and they got like Justin Fields and Jalen Ramsey, Deshaun Watson and kind of hanging around those guys when they would come to Austin and we would just hang out and talk and I would do, you know, photo shoots and I
watched him. I went to like Jordan Love and uh,
what's the receiver name? I went to Jordan Love and Justin Fields like they're C four and they're Madden shoots and kind of just talking and hang out with those guys and seeing like what they what they charged and stuff, and like I was like, okay, well talking to my agent and stuff, I'm like, well, here's what I charge, and here's like how many companies I work with or so kind of like signing with them help me out a lot, and then kind of knowing what to do
and so now here in Nebraska, like I'll know like how much or what's too much or what's too little like I'm not gonna go do something unless it's for a good cause.
Like I'll always go.
Talk to kids or go to a high school or you know, go surprise somebody at a daycare, Like I'll do that for free. But when it comes to like business, like you're talking about me driving and going out of my way or like breaking my football routine, my daily regimen to go do something for in il, to me, it's not worth it unless it's you know, for the
right right reason or the right cost. And so I mean I get up at like five am, I go to bed and finish my day, like I study film all the way to like ten pm at night, and I have stuff that I do in between them, like everything's written down, and so I dedicate basically like business in io deals or like zoom calls. I do that between one and five usually, But I really don't like to honestly, Like when they told me that you guys are coming, I thought you were supposed to come tomorrow
on March eleventh. We're here both days, yeah, and we'll be at practicable but we fly out tomorrow, okay. And then they told me that you guys are going to be here and then they're like, would you want to do that?
Yes or no?
Like honestly, like I didn't even realize that you are you already here until I saw all this setup, Like I was getting ready to go back and finish my routine for the day, like and so, but it's good to take a break too, because it helps me out mentally kind of just like take a break and not legit and be either studying, getting treatment or watching film all day. Like I'll take a break between like two and five and do nil stuff or like weekends or off days.
We appreciate you coming on, dude.
I apprecire you noticing that we're set up and being like all right, today's day.
Appreciate Yeah, I appreciate you giving us the time.
Yeah, that's pretty epic and nil stuff, dude, that's cool as shit. I wish we had that when we were planning for sure. Yeah, but take advantage of that, dude.
It's fun.
But take it as an advantage to learn, like the business part and like how you can now set up businesses when you're in the NFL, Right, what are you gonna do with that money to make sure that money makes you money?
Yeah, Like I'm not looking at it as a more like how can I get rich quick? I'm looking at more of like you said, how can I become a businessman, How can I build my brand?
How can I be.
Around other millionaires and billionaires and like see what makes them successful? And how can I become a professional in this space of like working with companies and brands and like it just makes you definitely grow up and become you know, mature really fast. And then I signed with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and like they they they've definitely taught me a lot about like taxes and finances and accounting and like I now I know that kind of the ins and outs.
And also learned from my brother.
Who played in the NFL for three or four years, Like you know about all the taxes and the fees and everything costs money, like everything traveling. Even if somebody gives you a free car. This is what I learned through in IO. If I hand you a free car as a dealership, like I still got to fill out.
And turn that into the government, so you're going to get tax on that. It's not free.
Like that blew my mind because I'm like I thought everything was free.
It's something that was free. I thought it was free, but they're like, no, you gotta five taxes. Yeah, that's a lot of learning.
But good luck to you, bro, And I'm I know you're going into your last year and everything, and obviously we're stoked that you're in Nebraska, but good luck to you. And I appreciate you again, We appreciate you for taking the time.
No problem.
And then I actually have a I have an extra year since like the COVID thing, if I want to come back.
Oh for real, for the next year. Will we ball go in the NFL? So don't worry about that.
Getting Big Ten Championship or Big Ten Championship runner up to Michigan and then to the NFL.
We're talking first round, picky, Yeah, h
M hm