The Texas Longhorns will start junior Tyron Swoopes at quarterback in the team’s Sept. 5 season opener against Notre Dame, though freshman Jerrod Heard will also play. Coach Charlie Strong made the announcement, which was reported on Twitter by college football reporter Taylor Gaspar.
Junior QB Tyrone Swoopes will start for #Longhorns against Notre Dame, but Charlie Strong said Jerrod Heard will also play.
— Taylor Gaspar Estes (@TaylorEstes247) August 31, 2015
It’s a decision that should work out well for Texas. Swoopes was the Longhorns’ go-to quarterback for most of 2014, throwing for 2,409 yards and 13 touchdowns while also managing 262 yards and four scores on the ground.
But Heard’s talent cannot be ignored. He is a dual-threat quarterback and former four-star recruit out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so he deserves a fair chance as well. Though he’s on the smaller side at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, while Swoopes stands 6-foot-4, 244 pounds, Heard can probably do more in Strong’s offense and Texas is in win-now mode. Since Swoopes is prone to interceptions, having thrown 11 last year, there’s every chance that Heard can vulture the starting job away at any point.
By letting Swoopes start the Notre Dame game and featuring Heard on an as-needed basis, be it in certain formations or letting him take over if Swoopes struggles, Strong will thus get a better idea of which man fits better in his offense and tinker as necessary so the Longhorns can get back into title contention sooner rather than later.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
