Update: Bubba Thompson is recovering from a knee injury. Coach Nobles has yet to announce the starter. Ty’Ray Davis or Donovan Leary are both expected to see playing time.
UWF Football
The University of West Florida plays its first Division I football game at 6 p.m. Thursday at PenAir Field, hosting Southern Illinois—a program ranked No. 16 in the preseason Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) poll.
- The Salukis can flat-out score. The Missouri Valley Football Conference team averaged 36.4 points per game last season. Southern Illinois quarterback DJ Williams was named a preseason All-American and sits on the watch list for the Payton Award, the FCS’s version of the Heisman Trophy.
The Buzz: Bubba Thompson Under Center
The word on campus is that Bubba Thompson will be the Argos’ starting quarterback for the historic opener. Thompson, 27, transferred to UWF in January from the University of South Alabama, where he walked on but never appeared in a game. He has four years of eligibility remaining following eight years in professional baseball.
,A first-round MLB pick turned Sun Belt walk-on turned Division I starting quarterback Bubba Thompson’s road to PenAir Field has taken eight years and two sports.
From McGill-Toolen to the First Round
Thompson was a standout quarterback at Mobile’s McGill-Toolen Catholic School, leading the team to the Class 7A state championship game as a senior in 2016. That season, he threw for 3,173 yards and 38 touchdowns.
- He turned down college football offers from Ole Miss and Tennessee, and passed on a baseball scholarship offer from Auburn, instead choosing professional baseball. The Texas Rangers selected him with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 MLB draft.
The Baseball Career, By the Numbers
- 2021 (Double-A Frisco RoughRiders): .275/.325/.483 with 16 home runs, 52 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 33 attempts
- Named co-winner of the Rangers’ 2021 True Ranger Award, given annually to a minor leaguer who exemplifies the organization’s core values on and off the field
- Reached the majors with the Rangers in 2022
- MLB career: 109 games with the Rangers and Cincinnati Reds—.237 average, 1 home run, 13 RBIs, 27 stolen bases
- Released by the Reds after the 2024 season; enrolled at South Alabama in spring 2025
Fast Facts: Tomorrow’s Game
- Kickoff: 6 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 27, PenAir Field
- Opponent: Southern Illinois, No. 16 preseason FCS
- Conference watch: Missouri Valley Football Conference averaged 36.4 points/game in 2025
- Salukis QB DJ Williams: Preseason All-American, Payton Award watch list
- Projected Argos QB: Bubba Thompson, age 27, former Rangers/Reds outfielder
- Buy tickets here.