The Texas football program is entering a new era.
Although there’s plenty of hype surrounding the new coaching staff in Austin, a big question remains on who will become the starting quarterback for the Longhorns after the departure of four-year starter Sam Ehlinger.
Texas won’t field an experienced signal caller this season, but the group will develop under the watchful eye of quarterback guru and newly hired head coach Steve Sarkisian.
It appears to be an even race between Casey Thompson and Hudson Card. Thompson has received limited playing time as the backup to Ehlinger for three seasons and likely has one foot in the door to win the job. Don’t discount Card, however, as he is widely viewed as one of the most prolific passers to come to the Forty Acres since Colt McCoy.
Some still believe that Texas has one of the most talented quarterback rooms in the country. ESPN senior writer Adam Rittenberg recently released college football’s future quarterback power rankings (link requires paid subscription).
The Longhorns landed at No. 9 overall. It’s a drop from their 2020 ranking (No. 6 overall), but it’s still respectfully high considering Texas is not returning a starter at the position.
Texas is a complicated job — among the most complicated in college football — but the school hired Sarkisian for a simple reason: to upgrade the offense and especially quarterback play. If the Longhorns want to catch and ultimately overtake Oklahoma, they will need more from their signal callers. Four-year starter Sam Ehlinger is gone, having left an important legacy at his hometown school. He produced incredible numbers (11,436 pass yards, 94 touchdowns), but ultimately not enough championships. At Alabama, Sarkisian reaffirmed his skills as a playcaller and quarterback guru, especially with Jones in 2020. He now inherits an unproven but talented quarterback room, headlined by Casey Thompson and Hudson Card.
Thompson, an ESPN 300 recruit in 2018, finally got his chance to impress in the Alamo Bowl and played almost flawlessly (8-of-10 passing, 170 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions). He could be the answer through the next two or three seasons, although he’ll have to hold off Card, ESPN’s No. 2 dual-threat quarterback and No. 40 overall player in the 2020 class. Ewers’ flip to Ohio State no longer stings as much after Texas landed a commitment from Maalik Murphy, ESPN’s No. 2 quarterback and No. 16 overall recruit in the 2022 class.
Although the Longhorns appear to be in good hands for the long-term future after landing five-star quarterback Maalik Murphy, deciding between Thompson and Card in the meantime will be one of the most important decisions of Sarkisian’s tenure in Austin.