NFL.com analyst compares Jerrod Heard to Vince Young

The Texas Longhorns saw freshman quarterback Jerrod Heard step up in a big way in a heart-breaking loss against the California Golden Bears this past week.

Bucky Brooks of NFL.com was impressed with Heard’s play and made that very clear in one of his latest articles, comparing him to former Longhorns’ quarterback superstar Vince Young.

“Heard not only notched a 300-yard passing game, but he showcased electric running skills that reminded me of Vince Young during his days with the Longhorns,” Brooks wrote. “He easily maneuvered through traffic on impromptu scrambles and displayed the kind of sneaky athleticism that is coveted in today’s game. If he continues to improve as a pocket passer, Heard could be one to watch going forward.”

Heard ended up completing 20 of his 31 passing attempts against California for 364 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. He also picked up an impressive 163 yards and three touchdowns on 24 rushing attempts.

Young was one of the most dynamic playmakers that the Longhorns have ever had play the quarterback position. He was an absolute force against the rest of the nation and led the Longhorns to a National Championship as well.

Heard doesn’t have quite as much talent around him as Young did, but head coach Charlie Strong is rebuilding the program.

Texas desperately needed to find a playmaker like Heard to move forward in their rebuilding process and they are hoping that they will have the next four season including this year to build around one quarterback.

Strong has to be very excited about finding Heard and seeing him come through with the type of performance that he had against California. There aren’t many quarterbacks in the nation that are capable of putting those numbers up. Heard has even more potential to work his way into and as a freshman still hasn’t shown just how high his ceiling really is.

Expect to see Heard continue growing over the next couple years as a passer and don’t be surprised if he is a Heisman candidate at some point in that time period.

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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports

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