Texas Football: Is Casey Thompson the future of the program?

The future of the Texas football program for fourth-year head coach Tom Herman could now be largely in the hands of RS sophomore QB Casey Thompson.

A potential meaningful question was brought about for fourth-year Texas football head coach Tom Herman following his team’s big 55-23 dominant Alamo Bowl win over the former Big 12 foe Colorado Buffaloes and first-year head coach Karl Dorrell on the night of Dec. 29. Texas got to see a very efficient night from a number of their players on both sides of the ball, especially from the redshirt sophomore backup dual-threat quarterback Casey Thompson.

And Herman was asked about the play of newer potential promising stars to the Longhorns program like that of Thompson and junior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown after the Alamo Bowl win. Here’s more on what he had to say on the likes of Thompson and Overshown, among others, becoming the new faces of the program heading into the offseason (thanks to 247Sports).

"WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO SAM (EHLINGER), IS IT TOO SIMPLISTIC OR IS IT CORRECT TO SAY THAT CASEY, DEMARVION OVERSHOWN, THIS IS THE FUTURE OF TEXAS FOOTBALL?“Yeah, I don’t think you need ‘all due respect’. I think that’s pretty obvious that the young guys are the future of this program. They played really well tonight.”"

At least Herman seemed optimistic about the future of the program with how his younger players showed out in the dominant Alamo Bowl win over the Buffs. He didn’t shy away from the overarching storyline of the potential quarterback battle for the 2021 offseason.

A big decision is looming for the Longhorns star senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger this offseason as to whether he will declare for the 2021 NFL Draft. Since Ehlinger didn’t burn a year of eligibility by playing in the 2020 college football season, he could technically return for a fifth year on the Forty Acres.

But the way that Thompson showed out in the Alamo Bowl should inspire a lot of confidence if he is the next starting quarterback for Texas in the post-Ehlinger era.

Thompson wrapped up his Alamo Bowl outing by completing 8-of-10 passing attempts for an impressive 170 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, no picks, and 17 rushing yards on four attempts. He was about as efficient as it gets for the Longhorns. Thompson shined alongside the likes of star freshman running back Bijan Robinson.

Both Thompson and Robinson shined in a still limited spotlight for the most part in the Alamo Bowl.

Thompson was actually more efficient than Ehlinger in the Alamo Bowl. Prior to the senior signal caller going down with a shoulder injury in this game, he completed 10-of-16 passing attempts for 160 passing yards, one passing score, and no picks.

Moreover, if the Alamo Bowl win over Colorado was Ehlinger’s last game with the Longhorns, Thompson should hold the edge in the quarterback battle during the 2021 offseason. He will still have to battle it out with the former highly touted four-star recruit and freshman Hudson Card for the starting role.

Longhorns fans should be fine with the idea that Thompson could be the future of this offense moving forward. He’s done well in limited snaps whenever given the opportunity over the course of the last two years.

Herman and the Longhorns now finish up the 2020 season winning five of their last six games, sporting a record of 7-3 (5-3 Big 12). They do head into the offseason on a high note, granted this was a roller coaster ride of a 2020 season.