The Texas football team is in the midst of finding a quarterback who can help bring the Longhorns back to a top winning program, but is the right man on this year’s roster?
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Longhorn Nation still remembers the hit: Colt McCoy rolled left, cut towards the middle of the field, and was socked from behind by Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus. McCoy’s arm went dead: he couldn’t throw the ball, and well, nobody who has been the starting quarterback at Texas really has been able to since.
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Quarterback, you could argue, is what is really holding back Texas football from getting back to their winning ways. Since Colt McCoy left, the following have occupied the revolving door that is the starting quarterback position: Garrett Gilbert, Case McCoy, David Ash, and Tyrone Swoopes. None were particularly impressive, and none of them have taken the ‘Horns to where they need to be. This begs the question: will 2015 be the year that the Longhorns rediscover an elite quarterback?
Entering fall camp, there is no clear frontrunner for the job. The competition boils down to the incumbent, Swoopes and the redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard. Conventional wisdom tells us that Swoopes should have the upper hand following a season in which he made every start. However, it’s entirely possible that Swoopes has shown that he is who he is: an average, and sometimes slightly above-average quarterback in a league that demands elite quarterback play.
Take last year, for example: Baylor’s Bryce Petty and TCU’s Trevone Boykin were the two best quarterbacks in the Big 12 last year, and the Bears and Horned Frogs finished tied for first in the conference.
Oklahoma was a preseason favorite: however, inconsistency from Trevor Knight was key in their disappointing 8-5 finish. Swoopes was a little worse than Knight, and the Longhorns finished 6-7, a little worse than the Sooners.
If this is the case, then, Strong must take the quarterback with the highest ceiling, the one with the greatest potential to be elite. In other words, Jerrod Heard must start on September 5 at Notre Dame. It may be baptism by fire, but it may also be Texas’ best chance at relevancy this fall.
Dec 29, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Tyrone Swoopes (18) during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the 2014 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Heard shined in the 2015 spring game, completing 20 of 29 passes for 177 yards, and rushing for 30 yards and a touchdown. He has been long hailed as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in his class, going 36-8 as a starter in high school in Denton, TX.
It may be a bit unfair, but Swoopes’ time has come and gone. He had plenty of chances to showcase his skills last season, but flamed out on the biggest stages in losses to Baylor and TCU. Most notably, he ended 2014 on the sourest of notes: a 57 yard, one interception disaster in the Texas Bowl. He’s no statue, but his speed is not as impressive as Heard’s.
Strong must realize that consistent, top-level quarterback play is what it takes to be a player in the Big 12, and that he must take a risk with Heard to take steps forward this fall. Loosen up, Jerrod; it’s your turn to try get the feeling back in Texas’ throwing arm.