Texas Football: Who should start at quarterback in 2021?

An injury to Sam Ehlinger during the Alamo Bowl last season may have been just what Texas football needed to focus on the future.

No one wanted to see Ehlinger go down with an injury, but it opened the door for one of his backups to really make a name for himself and take the first step as the potential QB1 of the future. Casey Thompson did just that.

Thompson took over at halftime of the Alamo Bowl and went bananas. He completed 8-of-10 passes for 170 yards and four touchdowns. He had twice as many touchdown passes as incompletions and looked like the future of the Longhorns.

But heading into the 2021 season, there’s still a question mark at the position but Thompson holds the lead.

Hudson Card, who was a freshman in 2020, is the current darkhorse to win the starting job but if he did win it outright, no one should really be surprised. He was one of the best quarterbacks in the 2020 class, ranked the No. 59 prospect in the country by the 247Sports Composite and the second-best dual-threat.

Thompson was a solid recruit in his own right, but Card is a true blue-chip prospect.

With Steve Sarkisian taking over, the reset button has been hit and although Thompson has the only extensive game action, the battle should be completely fair.

Who should Texas football’s QB1 be?

After watching Thompson in the Alamo Bowl against Colorado, I’m all in on him getting the nod when the 2021 season kicks off. He looked like a potential superstar and brought a fresh look to the position.

The 6-1, 197-pound sophomore from Oklahoma has the raw talent and he showed that he can sling it and he’s also a dual-threat. Thompson isn’t afraid to tuck and run with the ball but he’s also not completely reliant on his legs. That’s a huge positive for the Longhorns. That’s why I think he holds the upper hand right now, as he should.

But don’t sleep on Card. He’s going to be one of the best backups in the nation and you can bet that if Thompson struggles early, Sarkisian will have no problem going to the inexperienced former top-60 recruit.

Thompson has proven himself on the big stage and until he stumbles, the job is his to lose.