Texas QB Hudson Card is ‘more vocal’ through QB competition

One of the most hotly discussed storylines throughout all of the Big 12 heading into spring camp is the looming quarterback competition facing Texas football. Second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff are looking to have both the former Ohio State Buckeyes freshman transfer quarterback Quinn Ewers and rising junior Hudson Card duke it out for the starting job in spring ball.

While some might say that the Longhorns quarterback competition is more of a formality than an actual position battle that truly has yet to be determined, it is still important for both Ewers and Card to put their best foot forward.

For Ewers, this quarterback competition in spring camp is about proving that he really has the capability to lead this offense in 2022 and beyond. Ewers needs to instill the confidence in Sark and the Longhorns staff that he is “the guy” to elevate the offense as a whole this year.

And for Card, spring camp could turn into his last stand in terms of really proving that he is still capable of being a starting quarterback for the Longhorns. Texas didn’t really give a fair shot last season to either Casey Thompson or Card. Thompson was injured on his throwing hand for most of last season, and Card didn’t get a true shot to develop.

Moreover, if you think about this logically, it’s not out of the question that Card could get some legitimate playing time in 2022. There are some that think it makes sense for Texas to split reps between Card and Ewers in the first week of the 2022 campaign. That allows Ewers to potentially have an easier transition to lead this offense this fall before getting thrown to the wolves when Texas faces the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 2.

Texas football seeing QB Hudson Card making leadership strides heading into spring ball

There is also the idea that it’s nice to have Card in a situation where Ewers gets hurt. Having a quarterback that is a former blue-chip recruit with legitimate starting experience in the Big 12 could come in handy this fall.

Yet, most Longhorns fans likely think it is a done deal that Ewers will be the starting quarterback in 2022. And that would make sense given how much priority Texas placed on getting a commitment from Ewers out of the NCAA Transfer Portal a few months ago.

You don’t just go out and get a transfer quarterback with the talent levels of Ewers without expecting him to win the starting job given the situation Texas is facing.

Sark and the Longhorns still look bound to split the first-team reps in spring ball between Card and Ewers. And in the workouts/reps Texas already got during the winter months, it sounds like Card is developing in new ways compared to last offseason.

According to a report from Inside Texas (part of the On3 Network, paid content), Card is “becoming more vocal” and “throwing the ball well” in the reps he did get so far this offseason. That is a pretty big development for Card compared to where he was at even in fall camp last year.

It will be interesting to see how the roles play out for the likes of Ewers and Card in the quarterback room as we head into spring camp. Regardless of what happens in spring ball, it still looks like the favorite to win the starting job will be Ewers.

But Card can still make an impact on this coaching staff maybe to the point where he can get split reps in less significant games during the upcoming regular season. It could also help his stock if he is to enter the transfer portal later in the offseason if he performs well in spring ball.