Texas Football: Breaking down Longhorns’ spring 2018 starting QB battle

Cameron Rising, Freshman (6-foot-1, 235 pounds)

While there is almost a zero percent chance that Rising will be named the Longhorns’ starter the true freshman is impressing coaches with his ability to move the ball in practice.

The one time Oklahoma commit hails from Ventura, California and was a four star pro style quarterback. During his high school career he threw for 6,251 yards, 69 touchdowns, and averaged 250 yards per game per MaxPreps.

Casey Thompson, Freshman (6-foot-0, 191 pounds)

Like his fellow freshman class counterpart Rising, it’s unlikely that Thompson will not challenge Buechele and Ehlinger for the starting job. The former four star dual threat from Newcastle, Oklahoma will be battling for the No. 3 position.

During his high school career, Thompson recorded 9,829 passing yards, 107 passing touchdowns, and averaged 228.6 yards per game. He also rushed for 3,011 yards and 47 touchdowns per MaxPreps.

The battle for the starting position is locked in between Buechele and Ehlinger with Herman telling ESPNURadio that the elements he is looking for to be able to name a clear starter are as follows:

"“Does the ball move when we’re in, do they protect the ball, and do we score touchdowns? And leadership, you know? And do the kids, do they make the players around them better by being behind center?”"

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: First round through Pro Days

Taking all things into consideration, I predict that Herman will not name a starter until days before the opener, but it will be Ehlinger’s name that gets called.