It’s been a long and winding road with ups and downs in the football career of Ty Thompson.  After leading Mesquite to back-to-back championships in 2019-20, Thompson played quarterback for Oregon before transferring to his current home at Tulane.

Prior to the 2025 season, Thompson was converting to a new position – tight end.  The 6-4, 235-pounder certainly has the frame to play as a hybrid receiver and blocker.

A setback occurred during the spring of that year on a non-contact play resulting in a knee and hamstring tear that required surgery.  He recovered in time for training camp, but reinjured the hamstring resulting in a lost season and a medical redshirt.

The good news is Thompson has worked hard and fully recovered and been cleared for his final college season.  He’s ready to take on this new role at a position he hasn’t played since his youth football days.  He gives testament to the Green Wave staff for helping him along this far.

“The coaches here have done a great job,” Thompson said.  “I feel I can make a difference on this team as a tight end.”

For the 2021 recruiting class, Rivals ranked Thompson as the No. 2 dual-threat QB in the nation.  He appeared in three games for Oregon his freshman year (redshirt).  The following season, Bo Nix transferred in from Auburn and Thompson backed up the current Denver Bronco for two years.  Thompson then entered the transfer portal and committed to Tulane.  Darian Mensah (now at Miami FL) started for the Green Wave as a freshman in 2024 before departing for a high-paying NIL at Duke.  That same year (2025), Thompson explored the portal again before returning to Tulane.

Thompson said the portal is fair and is a great tool for student-athletes to use.  It does have its pros and cons as he has experienced.

Back in his high school days at Mesquite High in Gilbert, Thompson was a starter as a sophomore during a 5-5 campaign.  What followed the next two seasons were 79 touchdown passes, 14 rushing scores, a 21-4 record and a pair of 4A State titles under head coach Scott Hare (now Crismon’s head coach).

“Having a blast,” Thompson said as he remembered his time at Mesquite.  “You can’t ask for a better group of guys.  Coach Hare is one of the best coaches I’ve had at any level.”

Ty Thompson throws a pass during the 2019 4A Conference State championship game. The Wildcats defeated Desert Edge, 28-23.

Mesquite opened its doors in 1998, played its first varsity season in 1999, and made the championship game for the first time 20 years later.  In that game against Desert Edge, Thompson led the Wildcats down the field and threw his third touchdown pass on the night, a 33-yard play to Michael Sterling, to give Mesquite the lead for good with just two minutes remaining.

The following year, Thompson got to enter his senior season as the defending champs.  But the fall of 2020 was unlike any other.  The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in March, continued into the summer and threatened to cancel the season.  The AIA raised the green flag and an eight-week season started the first Friday of October.  Games were canceled or rescheduled along the way as some schools didn’t have enough healthy players (Mesquite actually only took the field six times during the regular season with one game being awarded as a forfeit).  In the playoffs, Mesquite pulled off the repeat in a wild 39-38 win over Cactus.

 

 

Following the season, Thompson was voted as the Ed Doherty Award winner, which recognizes the state’s most outstanding football player.  He finished his high school career with almost 10,000 passing yards and exactly 100 touchdown passes.

Ty Thompson holds the Ed Doherty Award after winning it in December of 2020.

Fast forward to 2026 and Thompson is now a grad student at Tulane.  That’s right, despite all the upheaval with gaining and losing his starting QB role, transferring once, and switching positions, Thompson has been able to control the things that he could control – his grades.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, which he finished down in New Orleans and is currently working on his Master’s in Psychology.  Becoming a sports trainer is a possibility, but he is also passionate about coaching and sports so that is another potential avenue to consider when his football playing days are done.

Getting his hopes up of being a starting quarterback and then losing it was incredibly hard for Thompson, but his circle has been one he could rely on and help him to continue trying.

“I have a great support system,” Thompson said.  “My family and girlfriend (who he met while at Oregon) are there for me.  Also faith.  It’s not in my hands.  Everything happens for a reason and I just keep chugging along.”

When it comes to academics, that’s something that has never gone away going back to the young age when he first started having homework.

“That was 100 percent my parents growing up,” Thompson said of his motivation for succeeding off of the field.  “Doing well in school and being respectful to teachers.  Be the best at what you can do.”

Even though he wasn’t playing last year, Thompson made an impact on his community in New Orleans.  He was named Tulane’s representative for the 2025 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy.  That distinction recognizes elite community service and academics.  Thompson worked with Son of a Saint.  It is a group that transforms the lives of fatherless boys (ages 8-16).  He coached basketball and football for the youth and also worked with nutrition in stocking the group’s food pantry.  New to the city, Thompson dove into it and poured into the New Orleans community, which is a special one.

Tulane is coming off a historic 11-3 season that saw the Green Wave make its first College Football Playoff appearance.  The first official practice of the season comes on Wednesday leading up to the opener at Duke on Sept. 5 (12:30 pm Arizona time on the ACC Network).  Thompson plans to make his return to the field.  Many college coaches tell high school prospects that you have to love the game of football to succeed at the college level.  Thompson lives this.

“I love football more than I love to breathe,” Thompson said.  There’s nowhere I’d rather be.  I’m trying to do this as long as I can.  Football is my first love and one of the biggest loves of my life.  I’m grateful for this last opportunity.”

 

Reach Chris Eaton at gridironarizona@yahoo.com or DM at @gridironarizona with story ideas.





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