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Texas football: Who will win Longhorns QB competition – Casey Thompson or Hudson Card?

By Patrick Schmidt

Apr 24, 2021; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns Orange quarterback Casey Thompson (11) passes ball in the fourth quarter against the Texas Longhorns White team during the fourth quarter at the Orange-White Texas Spring Game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2021; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns Orange quarterback Casey Thompson (11) passes ball in the fourth quarter against the Texas Longhorns White team during the fourth quarter at the Orange-White Texas Spring Game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Steve Sarkisian is not quite ready to name a starting quarterback with a little more than one week ahead of the season opener for the Texas Longhorns.

Casey Thompson or Hudson Card?

That’s been the biggest question facing the Texas Longhorns since Steve Sarkisian took over as the head coach.

Replacing Sam Ehlinger comes with a lot of pressure after all he accomplished during his career in Austin. Naming the starting quarterback in your first year at a football-crazed university with a fan base desperately awaiting a return to the elite of the sport comes with an inherent pressure all its own too.

The assumption since the Alamo Bowl when Thompson threw four touchdowns in relief of the injured Ehlinger was that he would be the starter for 2021. That was also before Tom Herman was fired and Sarkisian was hired.

Sarkisian is not ready to name a starter ahead of the Sept. 4 opener against Louisiana-Lafayette, but that’s not to be assumed Thompson has been a disappointment.

He also isn’t slow-playing the decision for any sort of competitive advantage ahead of the game or trying to prevent the runner-up in the competition from seeking a transfer.

Sarkisian is simply using all the time he has to evaluate the quarterback competition to make sure he’s making the most informed decision he can.

Who wins Texas quarterback competition: Casey Thompson or Hudson Card?

Thompson was the No. 291 overall recruit and No. 14 dual-threat quarterback coming out of Newcastle high school in Oklahoma, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Card, meanwhile, was the No. 51 overall recruit and No. 2 dua-threat in the Class of 2020.

Earlier in camp, Thompson was struggling with accuracy and turnovers resulting in Card getting the first-team reps and Thompson working with the second-team. But then Thompson took advantage of Card’s struggles and put together a great week of practice. Both have had their ups and their downs, which isn’t uncommon for younger quarterbacks learning a new offense.

What’s encouraging is both have shaken off their struggles to regroup and have good practices. This could be a good problem for Sarkisian to have two capable quarterbacks to choose from. If there was a clear leader, Sarkisian would have named a starter at this point.

Expect Thompson to get the start on Sept. 4 but if he struggles, there could be a quick hook. Card has more upside so if Sarkisian thinks the race is relatively even, it’s wise to go with the quarterback with more upside.

Thompson should get the start to begin the season but don’t be surprised if Card is the starter to end the season.

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