Aug 9, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Skylar Thompson (17) throws the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Former K-State QB Skylar Thompson Steals The Show In Steelers Preseason Debut

Originally posted on Kansas State Wildcats on SI
By Jayden Armant | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 12:12 PM ET

One of Kansas State's very own finally took the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a dominant preseason victory Sunday night.

And no, we're not talking about Will Howard. Instead, veteran backup Skylar Thompson took center stage against the Jacksonville Jaguars, going 20-of-28 for 233 yards and three touchdowns.

"Coming into a new organization, a new team, kind of a little bit of a fresh start for me," Thompson said in his postgame interview. "I was excited to go play some football and help out my teammates. Definitely did that today.”

It's only the preseason, but the return of football after nearly six months is refreshing. Perhaps this performance can catapult Thompson into a starting position this season.

Okay, we won't go that far.

K-STATE PLAYERS BOAST SWEET RIDES IN LATEST NIL AD

The NIL landscape has changed drastically across college sports since the NCAA adopted it in 2021, but that doesn't mean we can't still have fun commercials.

Long McArthur, a car dealership in Salinas, Kan., played into the growing buzz surrounding Kansas State's season with an ad featuring K-State's Avery Johnson, Dylan Edwards, Jayce Brown and Linkon Cure.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Long McArthur (@longmcarthur)

The ad begins with Johnson asleep in his bed, his alarm beeping, and a football hitting the clock to turn it off. Johnson pops out of bed, gets into a Mercedes AMG, and makes his way to the stadium.

The next scene features Cure getting a special "Game Day" haircut. He then hops into a Lincoln Nautilus and heads to the stadium.

The commercial then transitions to Brown and Edwards training before the game, Brown getting work in on the agility ladder and Edwards pushing the sled. After catching a glimpse of the TV, Brown gets in a Dodge Charger while Edwards makes his way to Bill Snyder Family Stadium in a BMW 5 Series.

The four athletes all arrive to the stadium, and head inside, the Long McArthur logo coming onto the screen.

This advertisement is not the first time the athletes have worked with Long McArthur. Each athlete is featured on Long McArthur's socials in their own individual posts, with Johnson, Cure and Brown featured with the cars they drove in the advertisement.

Kansas State fans hope the luxury cars lead to luxury play. Johnson, Brown and Edwards are all on award watchlists, while Cure is garnering attention as one of the top freshman in the country.