Hudson Card starting for Texas, Casey Thompson will play

University of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that while quarterback Hudson Card will start for the Longhorns, his fellow quarterback Casey Thompson will still play. Sarkisian spoke during a Texas press conference about Thompson’s role with the team.

Casey Thompson will still play

“Hudson Card is going to start Saturday against Lousiana,” Sarkisian clarified. “Casey [Thompson] will play in the game, and then we will continue to evaluate from there. But that’s the direction we’re going to go in this weekend.”

While Card may be the current starter for Texas, Sarkisian made it clear that there was still room for Thompson in their offense. Sarkisian explained that both quarterbacks have earned his attention and each other’s respect in the locker room.

“I told Hudson and Casey, this is really not a knock on Casey. Both guys really started to perform very well after that first scrimmage. It was a tough call, but I think in general you try to make the best decision for the program at that time.”

However, going forward in the season with Thompson is still on the table for Sarkisian. While Card is their starter now and for the immediate future, the potential use of two quarterbacks means his job is not etched in stone. A specific concern for Texas is finding out how either quarterback does in their first career start:

“Casey is going to play in this game. We will re-evaluate after one game, neither guy has ever started a game in their career so we will look at it after one week. Everybody has a role in our organization and ultimately, come gameday, you have a responsibility to do your job. And the quarterback is no different… The one that does their job most consistently gives us the best chance to have success. I think both guys understand that.”

Hudson Card will start for Texas

Sarkisian recently named redshirt freshman Hudson Card the starting quarterback for the 2021 season. The decision ended the competitive quarterback duel between Card and Thompson, which dominated Texas headlines throughout the offseason

Card played in two games as a freshman, making his collegiate debut in the 2020 season opener against UTEP. He has completed one pass for five yards in his career, adding four carries for 11 yards.

“We’re probably in a better position at the quarterback position than a lot of people because I really believe we have two guys that can play,” Sarkisian said previously about his quarterbacks. “I believe in having a starter and having a backup. But man, when you know I’ve got a backup that can play at a high level and operate our offense the way we want to operate, that’s really a luxury for us. There’s a lot of teams that maybe have a returning starter who’s a frontline guy, but their backup might not be very capable. Well, we’re in a pretty good position that way.”

On3’s James Fletcher contributed to this article.