Former MLB Outfielder Bubba Thompson Joins South Alabama Football Team

MOBILE, Ala. — Former Major League Baseball outfielder Bubba Thompson has enrolled at the University of South Alabama and joined the Jaguars football team as a walk-on, the school confirmed Sunday. The 26-year-old Mobile native, who spent the last eight years playing professional baseball, is set to participate in offseason workouts and spring practices.

Thompson, a first-round MLB draft pick in 2017, last played for the Cincinnati Reds in 2024. He will turn 27 in June and has five years of college eligibility remaining after never enrolling in college following his high school graduation. South Alabama head coach Major Applewhite confirmed Thompsonu2019s addition to the team but declined further comment.

A standout quarterback at McGill-Toolen Catholic School in Mobile, Thompson led the Yellow Jackets to the Class 7A state championship game in 2016. He passed for 3,173 yards and 38 touchdowns as a senior, earning all-state honors. Thompson had football scholarship offers from Tennessee and Ole Miss before choosing baseball.

South Alabamau2019s quarterback room already includes rising sophomore Gio Lopez, who started 11 games in 2024, junior Bishop Davenport, and redshirt freshman Jared Hollins. Thompsonu2019s addition adds depth and experience to the position group.

Thompson reached the majors with the Texas Rangers in 2022, playing 55 games and batting .265 with a home run, nine RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. Over three MLB seasons with the Rangers and Reds, he appeared in 109 games, hitting .232 with one home run, 13 RBIs, and 27 steals. He spent the 2023-24 offseason bouncing between five organizations before becoming a free agent.

Thompsonu2019s transition from baseball to football is not unprecedented. Former Houston Astros minor leaguer Josh Magee, also from Alabama, became a standout wide receiver at UAB and South Alabama after his baseball career.

Thompson has not officially announced his retirement from baseball but hinted at his football aspirations in a recent social media post. He shared a video of himself throwing a football inside South Alabamau2019s practice facility with the caption, u201cwe back yu2019all!u201d