Who is McLeod Bethel-Thompson? Former Vikings QB leads Breakers to stunning victory over Gamblers in USFL

McLeod Bethel-Thompson, the quarterback for the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL, had an impressive performance against the Houston Gamblers, leading his team to a 17-10 victory. This was a significant improvement compared to his performance in the previous week when he had a season-low 88 passing yards.

Bethel-Thompson's strong showing helped the Breakers secure a spot in the postseason as the South Division No. 2 seed, with a record of 7-3. The Breakers will now face the No. 1 seed Birmingham Stallions at Protective Stadium on Sunday (7 p.m. ET on FOX) in the USFL South Division Championship.

While Bethel-Thompson is recognized as one of the top quarterbacks in the USFL, he also had a stint in the NFL. Let's take a closer look at his college football career and his professional journey.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson College Football Career

In college, Bethel-Thompson began his football career at Balboa High School, where he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. His standout performances earned him offers from several prominent college programs, and he ultimately chose to accept an offer from UCLA in 2006.

After a redshirt season at UCLA in 2006, Bethel-Thompson alternated the Bruins' QB duties in 2007. Bethel-Thompson started in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl, where the Bruins lost to BYU. He played in five matches for UCLA in 2007, making 23 of 55 passes for 293 yards, with one touchdown and five interceptions.

Following the 2007 college football season, he transferred to Sacramento State and played there for the rest of his college career. In three years at Sacramento State, Bethel-Thompson appeared in 12 games, putting up a stat line of 1,322 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. He declared for the 2011 NFL Draft after his third year at Sacramento.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson Professional Career

Bethel-Thompson went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft and subsequently signed with the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League. He played in three games for the SaberCats before moving on to the San Francisco 49ers. Although he was part of the 49ers' main squad, he did not see much playing time.

He followed up his stint in the Arena Football League with a spell with the San Francisco 49ers. Bethel-Thompson was part of the main squad but only took a snap after he was cut from that side.

Bethel-Thompson later joined the Sacramento Mountain Lions, where he competed for the starting quarterback position. He eventually started the last two games of the season. From there, he had stints with the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers (again), New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles, mostly on practice squads or as a backup quarterback.

He then ventured into the Canadian Football League (CFL), joining the Toronto Argonauts. Bethel-Thompson experienced notable success with the Argonauts, winning two Grey Cup championships and earning accolades such as the 2022 CFL passing leader and the 2019 CFL passing touchdowns leader. He was also named a two-time CFL East All-Star.

Currently, Bethel-Thompson plays for the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL and is leading the league in passing.