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When Deion Sanders, or “Prime Time,” first exploded on the scene as a three-sport superpower in the ’90s, he didn’t just jump the fence, he made the unthinkable look like Tuesday’s warm-up. Deion has a saying: “I expect to be great. I expect to do what hasn’t been done. I expect to provoke change.” It was a slogan that went perfectly with his move from baseball to football and his subsequent career. Now, more than 20 years later, another one is hunting for that Prime-Time magic too, though this time the change is more… unorthodox.
Meet a 27-year-old former pro baseball player who’s trading a bat for a football and taking his talents back to the ballfield he played in high school — but now as a quarterback. Sounds crazy? Maybe. But Chris Weinke managed it in 2000 when he was 28, and he was a pro baseball player who won the Heisman — so who’s to say it can’t be done again?
Thompson’s Jump to the Sky
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The first-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2017, Bubba Thompson made a fine run in Major League Baseball, making his MLB debut for the Rangers in 2022 and the Cincinnati Reds in 2024. But despite an abysmal batting average of .111, he has decided to go to bed. Oh, not in the minors or with some other baseball team. Bubba’s taken his career elsewhere, walking on to Division I South Alabama, where he’ll try to be a quarterback again. Talk about a twist — and we’re not even to the last part. See, Bubba’s got what most college players dream about: five years of eligibility. That’s right — five years to potentially become the next big thing. And maybe, just maybe, Bubba pulls a Deion and returns to the game raging.
Bubba Thompson is not the name that comes to mind for you casual sports fans, but it should. Multi-sport great from Alabama, Bubba was a tiger on the football field in 2016, throwing for more than 3,600 yards and 43 touchdowns during his senior season. But baseball, come on, it was his dinner ticket. A signing bonus of more than $2 million makes no one doubt Bubba has put football on the back burner for the MLB dream. He got his Rangers debut, and for a while, it looked good. But Bubba was hitting.232 in 109 games for the Rangers and Reds, and it wasn’t going to be hitting the home runs he hoped it would.
But this? And here is where it gets interesting. Bubba is hitting the reset button and returning to football, not as a new freshman but as a 27-year-old QB in South Alabama. It’s a huge bet — who quits professional baseball and gambles on a sport they haven’t played in decades? Here’s the kicker: Bubba is not your average athlete. He’s the type of guy who never takes a challenge lightly when that challenge is breaking records. Bubba’s still eligible after all this is uncommon, and he’s equipped with all the weapons — speed, size, athleticism — to be noticed. So, is it crazy? Maybe. But is it a stroke of genius? Absolutely.
But here’s the rub: at 27, he is no rookie. This man has hit the big leagues, So what’s his take? His primary source of income includes his professional baseball career, where he earned an annual salary of $724,305 during his tenure with the Texas Rangers. The dude has been living the dream all his life — playing on the baseball diamond, exercising on the couch, and getting the World Series ring (yes, you heard that right). But now? He’s dreaming the diamond dream.
Deion Sanders Prime Time Legacy
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Deion Sanders is one of the most exciting players ever to walk the field — and the guy didn’t play one sport, he ran two at the very top. Either converting an interception into a touchdown in the NFL or running bases with the same panache, Deion was no ordinary guy. “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good,” he used to say, and with his neon shoes and self-aggrandizing personality, he looked the part. What is important is how? So how did Deion go from a professional football/baseball player to a pop culture star? It all began with the thought that he could be the first.
The day Deion was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in 1989, the world saw he seamlessly switched sports. He wasn’t just an athlete; he was a master, and it was a model for others to follow. His playing career was the stuff of a movie: two Super Bowls, eight Pro Bowls, and one Super Bowl MVP. But he didn’t stop there. He was as active on the diamond, for the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, and Cincinnati Reds. He even became the only footballer to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. Deion was not just playing — he was re-working the rules. And if we have learned anything since Prime Time, it’s that no dream is too big if you believe in yourself. Deion taught us that with guts, graft, and a dash of bravado, anything is possible.
Deion Sanders didn’t just play two sports — he won both. His acceleration was second to none on the football field. He was a shut-down NFL cornerback and one of the first players to get “prime time” downright. He threw the stuff like nobody’s business: 53 career interceptions, an infinity of highlight reel snaps over his 14-season NFL career. oh, and those Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. And on the baseball diamond, Sanders wasn’t just occupying territory. He stomped bases without problem, played center field, and was one of the most explosive bats of his generation. And yes, he hit fairly well, at.263 for his career, and still holds the FSU record for punt return yardage (1,429)
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It wasn’t necessarily the records or the accolades, though, that was the special part of Deion’s legacy — he did something unique and exciting with both sports. And he was clear: athletes can’t be good; they have to be indelible. The Super Bowl MVP and World Series game he played in 1992 are just two pieces of the Prime Time puzzle that will always be with us.
Deion Sanders didn’t just break records — he made a difference for players like Bubba Thompson. His mythical two-sports career was a game-changer, but it was also a teaching: players can play more than one sport at the highest level. Bubba is betting on that tradition, going to try his hand at being a multi-sport player by giving up baseball for football. And you know what? The bet could very well pay off. We know what happens when Deion Sanders talks, players hear. Bubba Thompson is certainly looking to “do what hasn’t been done” when it comes time to go after the next big event, as does his hero, the legendary John Madden.
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