Bubba Thompson, who was a first-round MLB draft pick in 2017, will trade in his glove for a helmet and some shoulder pads as he’s set to join the South Alabama Jaguars football team.
He will join the team as a walk-on for spring practices, South Alabama head coach Major Applewhite told AL.com. He posted a video on his Facebook page of himself throwing a football at the school’s football facility.
Thompson, 26, has experience on the gridiron. He played football while attending McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in Alabama, leading the school to a state title game in 2017.
He then committed to the University of Alabama to play baseball. However, he never enrolled in the college. Instead, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2017 with their No. 26 overall pick and decided to pursue a Major League career.
Thompson didn’t emerge as a superstar. He was a speedster on the basepaths, recording 18 stolen bags in 55 games in 2022. He was with the Rangers in 2023, playing in 37 games. He then joined the Cincinnati Reds last year and appeared in 17 games.
Because he never enrolled in college, he has five years of eligibility. Rivals rated him as a two-star quarterback coming out of school.
South Alabama was 7-6 last season in Applewhite’s first year. They ended the year with a win in the Salute to Veterans Bowl.
Gio Lopez and Bishop Davenport played quarterback for the Jaguars last season.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid knows football. He also knows a thing or two about being a dad.
On Monday, Patrick and Brittany Mahomes announced the birth of their third child in a post on social media. Golden Raye Mahomes was born on Sunday, Jan. 12 and is the couple's second daughter.
They also have a 2-year-old son named Patrick Lavon III, nicknamed Bronze.
With three under three, Mahomes told reporters on Tuesday that he is content with the size of his family "for right now," but Reid offered a different perspective when talking to the media.
"Yeah, I think he does great with it," Reid said when asked how the veteran quarterback is handling fatherhood. "He came in as Patrick 2pm, now he’s Patrick 3pm."
But for Reid, a father of five, he believes the more, the merrier.
"Once you have three, four and five are easy. That’s what I told him," Reid said with a smile. "You’ve made three, you add a couple more, we’ll talk."
However, the focus now for Mahomes is certainly on the playoffs.
The Chiefs will face the Houston Texans on Saturday in the divisional round hosted at Arrowhead Stadium as the Chiefs pursue a historic third straight championship.
"I think every year is special," Mahomes said. "Obviously, you want to win three in a row and build those memories with the guys and the community. But every single year is special. And when I look back at all the different Super Bowls that we've won, I look back at special moments that we've had and special games that we've had. And so, we'll try to do the same this year."
The Chiefs enter Saturday’s game well rested after securing a bye as the No. 1 seed.
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