The Texas Longhorns head into the 2017 college football season with a new head coach in former Houston head man Tom Herman — could the Longhorns make a change at quarerback, too?
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The sentiment from Texas this spring is at the very least there will be a competition. Leading the way has to be incumbent starter Shane Buechele, who started 12 games last year. But his job certainly isn't set in stone.
Here's a look at his challenger in spring ball:
So Tom Herman just put Texas' mascot in at quarterback for two reps. Here he is with the QB bootleg. pic.twitter.com/nqcbpSIBdT
— Steve Helwick (@s_helwick) March 25, 2017
Kidding… of course.
But Buechele does have competition this spring from true freshman QB Sam Ehlinger, who has impressed already in his short time at Texas.
Now, what Buechele did last year was impressive — as a true freshman he started 12 games, threw for 2,958 yards (most ever by a Texas freshman) and set a true freshman passing touchdown record by tossing 21 scores.
Texas, however, struggled as a whole, and didn't win many close games.
Now, with a new coach, everything is up in the air during spring ball.
Ehlinger could do this year what Buechele did last year — earn the job as a true freshman. By all accounts, Ehlinger has the right demeanor to lead the team right away, and comes in ranked the fourth-best dual-threat QB recruit in the class of 2017 (247 rankings).
Ehlinger has a cannon for an arm and can do work on the ground with his legs. It won't be an easy task, but he could certainly earn playing time this year.
Texas opens the 2017 season on September 2 against the Maryland Terrapins. Conventional wisdom assumes Buechele will be the starter when that game arrives. But don't be surprised if Ehlinger has worked his way into earning a few snaps or even the start.
