Well Longhorn fans, the time has come. After a disappointing first ten games has the Longhorns sitting at 4-6, it’s time to start a new series I call “Portal Peeking”
Over the course of the next month, I will be going by position of need to preview potential transfer options the Texas Longhorns should look at before the 2022 season. Will all the names listed end up transferring? No, but many have strong rumors swirling around their name and need to be discussed. For so long, transfer was viewed in a negative light, but the world of college football is changing and it couldn't come at a better time for the Texas Longhorns.
We start with the quarterback position, Hudson Card entered the season as the starting quarterback with the hope that he developed on the fly and solidified himself as the future of the program. It took until the Arkansas game for plans to change as Casey Thompson took over and wowed with his efficient play and leadership. Now though, both options seem to have run their course, and the Longhorns will likely be in play for a new quarterback before the 2022 season arrives. I have gone through and ranked my top 8 options with analysis, gifs, and backgrounds on their situations. Get ready everybody… PORTAL SEASON IS HERE!
Jack Miller III arrived in Columbus as a 4 star quarterback with hopes of taking over after Justin Fields departed for the NFL. Things didn’t work out that way as Miller now finds himself third in line for playtime behind CJ Stroud and Kyle McCord. With Quinn Ewers waiting in the wings and Miller being suspended early in the season for an OVI, the opportunity for playtime doesn’t seem likely and that likely leads him to the portal at season’s end.
Miller will step into the 2022 season as a Redshirt Freshman which gives him four years of eligibility should he want it. While many Longhorn fans are holding out hope for Arch Manning, Texas can’t afford to pass over talent if it becomes available to them.
One of the first things that will stand out to you when watching Miller is his arm talent. While Miller can push the ball downfield, it’s his zip that will grab your eye. Miller delivers a ball that would likely grab MLB scouts attention with the amount of velocity they have on them, and it helps him tremendously when putting the ball in tight windows. Another way it helps is when throwing outside, below is a clip from the Ohio State spring game where Miller sends a rocket to the sideline to pick up a solid seven yards.
Miller’s arm isn’t all he can offer, with a nice 6’3 215 pound frame, Miller can move too. Here is one of his only plays in 2020 where Miller picked up a big 21 yard gain against Nebraska in mop up duty. The dual threat ability to pick up plays with your legs has certainly become a major part of college football, and Miller could provide that element wherever he ends up.
In his limited film, there are still issues in Miller’s play. He trusts his arm a bit too much and can poor reads because of it. Here in the spring ball game, Miller had a very sustained drive going and killed all momentum by throwing a turnover.
Miller is all tools, and that can be enticing for a program in need of developing their own talent. Banks was a heavy recruiter in his time at Alabama with hopes of bringing Miller in and now in Texas they could turn to him again in hopes of landing him with a wide open QB job. Still, Miller has a ways to go development wise, and that’s why he finishes number 8 on this list.
Prediction if not Texas: Arizona State
For a Longhorn fan, I think Michigan is the program you look at to have hope for next year. With a 2-4 record and inconsistent play all over the team, Harbaugh turned things around phenomenally that has the Wolverines sitting at 9-1 on the season and still in contention for the conference and even playoffs. A key piece of that turnaround is currently third year Quarterback, Cade McNamara. The former 2019 4 star recruit has helped guide this offense to major success this season, but unfortunately the Reno native will likely get passed over for JJ McCarthy due to McCarthy’s hype and talent level.
For a guy like McNamara, think Brock Purdy. He isn’t going to be a superstar QB that turns around the offense on his own, but he is smart, quick, and efficient in the short game. The Wolverines offensive identity, much like the Longhorns, is their talented backfield. McNamara could step into Texas and help give reliable QB play from the jump, while superstar, Bijan Robinson, continues to be the strength of the team in it’s hopeful turnaround. While arm talent is easy to be wooed by, here is a play against Penn State just last weekend that highlights McNamara’s quick processing skills to get to his second read and deliver a pass to get his offense to the 1 yard line.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think McNamara leaves a bit left to be desired in terms of talent but he can still zip some passes. Here is a 21 yard line to put the Wolverines up 7-3 in their game against the Nittany Lions.
Another key piece of McNamara’s game is he is fairly poised when handling pressure. With the many question marks surrounding the offensive line this season and next, this is a crucial trait the next QB will need. Here’s McNamara facing pressure from the interior but holding steady and delivering a toss over the middle for a first down against Michigan State.
Ultimately, there are higher upside options than McNamara, but his results on the field are hard to argue against. If Sarkisian is looking to re-establish his culture and wants to bring in proven winners, then McNamara may just be the guy Texas is looking for.
Prediction if not Texas: California, Duke, or Nevada
It seems as though an Ohio State quarterback transferring is inevitable, and there’s a decent shot that it’ll be more than two. Redshirt Freshman Jack Miller is one, and the other is likely Kyle McCord. Currently, McCord is a true freshman, and could keep his redshirt depending on how Ohio State finishes the rest of the season which would bring him to Austin with 4 years of availability.
In his lone start of the season against Akron, McCord flashed plenty of potential and true talent that should have many power 5 teams in the mix if he were to enter the portal. The nerves were clear early, and true freshmen tend to have their issues regardless of who they face, but here’s McCord’s first strong throw of the game, hitting Olave on an out route to start to pick up momentum.
Yes, it's an easy throw, but it gets things started for McCord who went on to get down field and started to push the ball further, making plays like this dig to Garrett Wilson to move the sticks on second down.
McCord was the 35th ranked prospect in the Nation and a 4 star pro-style quarterback that flashes similar tools to that of Mac Jones, who Sarkisian just won a championship with in his final year as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. While Sark would be taking a gamble, McCord offers plenty of intrigue, here is the final play I’ll show of McCord put great touch on a deep pass to Emeka Egbuka. McCord shows quality diagnosing speed, and solid touch to put out nice passes and with the issues deep Texas has had this season, a guy like McCord could be just what they need.
Prediction if not Texas: Penn State
Harrison Bailey went to the University of Tennessee with high expectations as the guy who would help turn around the program, and to be fair he showed some promise in the playtime he received. However, the arrival of new head coach, Josh Heupel, resulted in multiple transfer quarterbacks arriving and in turn, Bailey is on his way out. Sarkisian recruited Bailey during his time at Alabama, could both reconnect and finally come together in Austin starting in 2022?
Bailey’s arm has always shown promise, the lanky 6’4 former 5 star QB showed that quickly in his career. Below is his second throw against Texas A&M as a true freshman, where he finds the corner route off of the play action fake and delivers a great ball for the big pickup through the air.
Heading into 2021, I was expecting Bailey to land the starting job for Tennessee due to his impressive play during the Spring scrimmage. He looked more poised, controlled, and even flashed some nice arm talent in the outing. Below was a successful go route Bailey hit early in his appearance to score a touchdown and tie things up 7-7.
The issue when it comes to Harrison Bailey is he has his struggles when handling pressure. He isn’t the most mobile QB, and you don't need to be, but here in his 2020 play against Texas A&M you can see as he gets cement feet when the pocket starts to collapse in and behind the Longhorn OL and just in general, that won’t do.
Still this clip and most of the tape that I can evaluate is from 2020, his true freshman season. It’s hard to think that Bailey wouldn’t have developed his game in that time, and some additional work with Sarkisian could easily help him continue to grow and bounce back from the slow start to his college career.
Prediction if not Texas: Florida State
Following the Joe Burrow lead 2019 season, Myles Brennan was poised to be next in line for the Tigers with hopes that there would be little to no drop off in the transition. Between injuries, opt outs, and probably a little bit of championship hangover… the Tigers struggled in 2020. Brennan still was able to look impressive in his three games available, where he delivered 1,112 yards with 11 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
Due to injuries, Brennan hasn’t been able to find the field much, and now he is entering the portal looking for a chance to start and compete at a new program. The former 4 star recruit will be a 6th year senior entering 2022 and should provide veteran leadership wherever he lands. For a program like Texas, adding an experienced leader and capable quarterback in one player would be a great way to kill two birds with one stone.
LSU entered the 2020 season on a sour note with many holes on the roster and it resulted in an upset loss in Week 1 to Mississippi State, however Brennan made multiple plays in the air to keep them in it, including this 20 yard strike mid-way through the second perfectly placed between the crashing safety and the corner lingering underneath.
Brennan isn’t just some boring pocket passer either, he in his best 2020 performance against Missouri he gets outside of a collapsing pocket and delivers a strike downfield while on the move. Throws like this are huge for a quarterback to make because the truth of college football is sometimes you just need bailed out, and Brennan offers the arm talent to be able to make that happen for you.
Brennan’s best trait has to be his touch, the ability to place a ball perfectly to keep it away from the defense but in stride with your receiver, and Brennan does it with grace. Here against Missouri watch as he lofts a ball up perfectly into the corner for Terrace Marshall to tap his feet and come away with the score. Brennan flashed the ability to deliver balls like this with natural instinct and made plays like this on multiple occasions in his short time as the Tigers’ QB.
The big concern surrounding Myles Brennan has to be durability, he missed numerous games over the course of the 2020 season due to injuries, and missed the 2021 season due to a freakish incident where he broke his arm before a fishing trip. Still Brennan is a veteran QB that could intrigue this staff for a short term fix to the QB issue while they give Murphy a year to develop and hope Arch follows shortly after. If Brennan can get back to his play when he looked sharp in 2020, then he would be a great addition to the Texas QB room for the 2022 season.
Prediction if not Texas: Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Ole Miss, or Cincinnati
I expect many in the comment section to hate the idea. I get it, Rattler has his red flags, and he struggled under someone who is widely regarded as the best offensive mind in college football. However, I think the struggles can be ironed out. So much of football and playing quarterback is confidence, and when Rattler had it he was one of the best players in the country.
The former 5 star dual-threat QB came to Oklahoma and bucked the trend of transfer quarterbacks finding their spot in Norman. Now, Rattler seems to be on his way out. Jeff Banks recruited Rattler while most of this staff was at Alabama and the mix of past familiarity, and the chance at revenge could entice the electric playmaker to rock burnt orange next season.
Let’s start with the good, and it’s likely what you’ve already heard before. Spencer Rattler has one of the best pure arms in the country, and not just at the college level. Rattler has the luxury of being able to zip the ball 40 yards down field on a line when he feels like it, and thus opens up the playbook to have routes run all over the field. Here in the play below, Spencer Rattler zips a pass about 35 yards to Marvin Mims putting it just out of reach of the defenders, and Mims takes it the rest of the way for a score.
Here is some 2020 film, when we saw Rattler playing some of his best football. He gets pummeled by the defender while still delivering a better deep ball than anything Texas has put together all season. I know it’s deeper than highlights, but Rattler makes plays like this consistently and if he can find his groove again, Xavier Worthy is going to continue to beat the defense deep and will be waiting for passes like this.
The big issue with Rattler is simple, he’s greedy. It can result in some beautiful plays when it works, but when it doesn’t it’s infuriating. Rattler has some of the best natural talent out there, and he knows it. So the traditional pass for six yards gets passed over because he knows he can roll out and extend the play and potentially hit a guy for 20+. Against Texas was a great example of that, he looks directly at the developing hitch route and sees it wide open for the first down, instead Rattler moves to extend the play and misses the pass (almost getting picked off) and the Sooners have to settle for the field goal.
The questions surrounding Rattler are plentiful, rumors of off-field issues, troubles diagnosing plays, and the fact that many of the fan base has hated him for three years now. However, the talent is there, and the potential is higher than many. Rattler is a complete lottery ticket, but one that could pay off in a major way. Sarkisian is looking for a playmaker at QB, and turning the former Oklahoma star who was benched into a Texas legend would be a great feat for all involved.
Prediction if not Texas: Ole Miss or Arizona State
On the surface, this suggestion might get some people riled up. What am I doing suggesting Texas go out and try to acquire a G5 QB for a team that is currently 1-9 on the season with their only victory coming against a bottom feeder FCS team? It’s ridiculous... crazy... senile, pull out the thesaurus, call me whatever you’d like, but by the end of the year you’d be calling me right. *knocks on wood*
Michael Pratt arrived at Tulane as a three star quarterback and immediately worked his way into the starting lineup, from there Pratt only continued to shine. As a true freshman, Pratt posted 20 touchdowns in the air and 1,806 yards. He only completed 55.1% of his passes, but the talent flashed.
Entering his sophomore season, expectations were sky high for Pratt and Tulane as a whole, but things haven’t gone right for the Green Wave as they sit at 1-9 on the season. Still, Pratt has been able to stand out from the watches on film. Posted below you can see Michael Pratt’s natural arm talent on a deep post against Ole Miss.
If the name sounds familiar, you probably remember Pratt from Oklahoma’s season opening barn burner with Tulane, where Pratt put the team on his back in what ultimately ended up a 40-35 defeat. Still Pratt shined through, here below is a great delivery to the opposite hash where only his receiver can make a play on it.
One of the biggest needs for whoever is QB next year will be the ability to handle pressure. While it’s a quick read and throw, Pratt stands strong with a defender coming on strong and delivers a quick strike to pick up solid yardage on first down. It isn’t flashy, but these small plays are a huge recipe for success over the course of the game, and has played a huge part in Texas’ struggles.
Pratt can make the plays at all levels of the field, here you can see him deliver an absolute dime (that ended up being dropped) while taking a huge hit up the middle. Oklahoma’s defense wasn’t all it was hyped up to be, but the front seven severely outmatched Tulane’s protection, yet Pratt stood tall and delivered throws all game.
On the final play I’ll show, here is another great trait that should have many Longhorns buy into Pratt, the guy is tough. A willing runner who will lower his shoulder to pick up the extra yard. This game was perceived as over, Tulane down 37-14, and Pratt easily could’ve slid as they had three more tries at the end zone. Instead, he went barrelling into three tacklers and sparked what would be a great season opening comeback for Tulane.
Pratt is certainly one of the riskier plays, and there is a solid chance he is committed to staying at Tulane, but if Sarkisian has a chance, I hope he and his staff let Pratt’s people know they’re interested, because I think he could be just what the Longhorns need at QB to turn things around.
Prediction if not Texas: Stays or LSU
Based on our interactions, the rest of the Orangebloods staff is probably going to hate me for even entertaining this as a realistic possibility, sorry y’all. Ewers likely went to Ohio State a year early knowing that CJ Stroud would be the starter until his departure for the pros. However, there has been some circling speculation that the highly touted recruit is having some thoughts on potentially transferring. Along with those rumors, there is an attachment that he would like to transfer back to the state of Texas. Two teams have seemed to grab the headlines regarding those rumors: the Texas A&M Aggies, and the Texas Longhorns.
The Aggies recently have had the QB position come into question after Haynes King fractured his leg in the Colorado game. Zach Calzada has stepped into the role and has had his moments, but truly the QB position could still be had by Ewers if he were to head to College Station. However, there is even less question on the chance to win the job if he heads back to Austin with a large opportunity of playing for the next two seasons in burnt orange.
There are always downsides to additions like this, a Ewers arrival likely means Maalik Murphy isn’t long for Texas. It could even mean Thompson and Card depart via the portal themselves. However, Ewers is a perceived game-changing talent at the quarterback spot, and being able to add him (and hopefully a few offensive linemen and weapons) could transcend this offense towards competing for the conference, and dare I say it… playoffs.
While the odds are Ewers doesn’t transfer, or transfers somewhere a little more ready than Texas, I will entertain the idea and wish on every star that shoots across the night sky that it happens. Regardless of if it becomes reality, this list is ranking the top potential portal options, and Quinn Ewers is rightfully in the top place until further notice.
Haynes King (Texas A&M) - Hey if Quinn Ewers transfers to A&M, King could hit the market. He offers nice playmaking upside to be a great addition to the offense.
Graham Mertz (Wisconsin) - Rumors are swirling that the Badgers could bring in competition for Mertz through the portal. That could go poorly if mishandled and lead Mertz to leave himself. I feel Mertz has shown some promise but not progressed as he should in Wisconsin, maybe Sarkisian can work the old QB guru magic and turn him into what he was hyped up to be entering as a freshman.
Charlie Brewer (Utah) - I’ll be honest, Brewer would be a horrendous signing in my book, but the guy succeeded under Rhule at Baylor and leaves Utah in hopes of finding one last ride at the college level.
Miller Moss (USC) - Jaxson Dart seems to have established himself as next in line at USC, which means Moss could be heading out the door. Sarkisian recruited him for Alabama, and could look to reunite with him here at Texas.
Jack Plummer (Purdue) - Pulled in the Notre Dame game, with O’Connell seeming to have hold on the job, Plummer likely enters the portal as a dependable pocket passer looking for a fresh start.
Jacob Zeno (Baylor) - With Bohanon winning the job and Shapen appearing to be next in line, Zeno hits the transfer portal with a nice set of tools that could make him an intriguing option with both arm talent and mobility to offer.
Chubba Purdy (Florida State) - The highly touted recruit leaves Tallahassee after failing to get play time. The former 4 star recruit likely gets another shot at a Power 5 school or high end G5 program.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In full, Texas has options for the portal this offseason and every sign points to the idea they’ll explore to find a new quarterback. In this ranking, the QB options were weighted in a pure vacuum. Ideally, the transfer QB arrives and does extremely well for a year before they leave for the pros, Maalik shines for two years, and Arch (who may not even want to sit for a year) then takes over after that.
The hiring of a head coach is similar to handing an artist a blank canvas and paying them for a painting. You can make your best guess for what will occur, but it will truly take some time until we get the full picture. The quarterback position is going to give a lot of clarity on what the Sarkisian era should look like for the next five years with resolution to who should be under center, what style of player he prefers, and what Sark’s level of evaluating talent is. Let’s hope Sark’s got some Bob Ross in him.
Over the course of the next month, I will be going by position of need to preview potential transfer options the Texas Longhorns should look at before the 2022 season. Will all the names listed end up transferring? No, but many have strong rumors swirling around their name and need to be discussed. For so long, transfer was viewed in a negative light, but the world of college football is changing and it couldn't come at a better time for the Texas Longhorns.
We start with the quarterback position, Hudson Card entered the season as the starting quarterback with the hope that he developed on the fly and solidified himself as the future of the program. It took until the Arkansas game for plans to change as Casey Thompson took over and wowed with his efficient play and leadership. Now though, both options seem to have run their course, and the Longhorns will likely be in play for a new quarterback before the 2022 season arrives. I have gone through and ranked my top 8 options with analysis, gifs, and backgrounds on their situations. Get ready everybody… PORTAL SEASON IS HERE!
8. Jack Miller III (Ohio State)
Jack Miller III arrived in Columbus as a 4 star quarterback with hopes of taking over after Justin Fields departed for the NFL. Things didn’t work out that way as Miller now finds himself third in line for playtime behind CJ Stroud and Kyle McCord. With Quinn Ewers waiting in the wings and Miller being suspended early in the season for an OVI, the opportunity for playtime doesn’t seem likely and that likely leads him to the portal at season’s end.8. Jack Miller III (Ohio State)
Miller will step into the 2022 season as a Redshirt Freshman which gives him four years of eligibility should he want it. While many Longhorn fans are holding out hope for Arch Manning, Texas can’t afford to pass over talent if it becomes available to them.
One of the first things that will stand out to you when watching Miller is his arm talent. While Miller can push the ball downfield, it’s his zip that will grab your eye. Miller delivers a ball that would likely grab MLB scouts attention with the amount of velocity they have on them, and it helps him tremendously when putting the ball in tight windows. Another way it helps is when throwing outside, below is a clip from the Ohio State spring game where Miller sends a rocket to the sideline to pick up a solid seven yards.
Miller’s arm isn’t all he can offer, with a nice 6’3 215 pound frame, Miller can move too. Here is one of his only plays in 2020 where Miller picked up a big 21 yard gain against Nebraska in mop up duty. The dual threat ability to pick up plays with your legs has certainly become a major part of college football, and Miller could provide that element wherever he ends up.
In his limited film, there are still issues in Miller’s play. He trusts his arm a bit too much and can poor reads because of it. Here in the spring ball game, Miller had a very sustained drive going and killed all momentum by throwing a turnover.
Miller is all tools, and that can be enticing for a program in need of developing their own talent. Banks was a heavy recruiter in his time at Alabama with hopes of bringing Miller in and now in Texas they could turn to him again in hopes of landing him with a wide open QB job. Still, Miller has a ways to go development wise, and that’s why he finishes number 8 on this list.
Prediction if not Texas: Arizona State
7. Cade McNamara (Michigan)
For a Longhorn fan, I think Michigan is the program you look at to have hope for next year. With a 2-4 record and inconsistent play all over the team, Harbaugh turned things around phenomenally that has the Wolverines sitting at 9-1 on the season and still in contention for the conference and even playoffs. A key piece of that turnaround is currently third year Quarterback, Cade McNamara. The former 2019 4 star recruit has helped guide this offense to major success this season, but unfortunately the Reno native will likely get passed over for JJ McCarthy due to McCarthy’s hype and talent level.7. Cade McNamara (Michigan)
For a guy like McNamara, think Brock Purdy. He isn’t going to be a superstar QB that turns around the offense on his own, but he is smart, quick, and efficient in the short game. The Wolverines offensive identity, much like the Longhorns, is their talented backfield. McNamara could step into Texas and help give reliable QB play from the jump, while superstar, Bijan Robinson, continues to be the strength of the team in it’s hopeful turnaround. While arm talent is easy to be wooed by, here is a play against Penn State just last weekend that highlights McNamara’s quick processing skills to get to his second read and deliver a pass to get his offense to the 1 yard line.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think McNamara leaves a bit left to be desired in terms of talent but he can still zip some passes. Here is a 21 yard line to put the Wolverines up 7-3 in their game against the Nittany Lions.
Another key piece of McNamara’s game is he is fairly poised when handling pressure. With the many question marks surrounding the offensive line this season and next, this is a crucial trait the next QB will need. Here’s McNamara facing pressure from the interior but holding steady and delivering a toss over the middle for a first down against Michigan State.
Ultimately, there are higher upside options than McNamara, but his results on the field are hard to argue against. If Sarkisian is looking to re-establish his culture and wants to bring in proven winners, then McNamara may just be the guy Texas is looking for.
Prediction if not Texas: California, Duke, or Nevada
6. Kyle McCord (Ohio State)
It seems as though an Ohio State quarterback transferring is inevitable, and there’s a decent shot that it’ll be more than two. Redshirt Freshman Jack Miller is one, and the other is likely Kyle McCord. Currently, McCord is a true freshman, and could keep his redshirt depending on how Ohio State finishes the rest of the season which would bring him to Austin with 4 years of availability.6. Kyle McCord (Ohio State)
In his lone start of the season against Akron, McCord flashed plenty of potential and true talent that should have many power 5 teams in the mix if he were to enter the portal. The nerves were clear early, and true freshmen tend to have their issues regardless of who they face, but here’s McCord’s first strong throw of the game, hitting Olave on an out route to start to pick up momentum.
Yes, it's an easy throw, but it gets things started for McCord who went on to get down field and started to push the ball further, making plays like this dig to Garrett Wilson to move the sticks on second down.
McCord was the 35th ranked prospect in the Nation and a 4 star pro-style quarterback that flashes similar tools to that of Mac Jones, who Sarkisian just won a championship with in his final year as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. While Sark would be taking a gamble, McCord offers plenty of intrigue, here is the final play I’ll show of McCord put great touch on a deep pass to Emeka Egbuka. McCord shows quality diagnosing speed, and solid touch to put out nice passes and with the issues deep Texas has had this season, a guy like McCord could be just what they need.
Prediction if not Texas: Penn State
5. Harrison Bailey (Tennessee)
Harrison Bailey went to the University of Tennessee with high expectations as the guy who would help turn around the program, and to be fair he showed some promise in the playtime he received. However, the arrival of new head coach, Josh Heupel, resulted in multiple transfer quarterbacks arriving and in turn, Bailey is on his way out. Sarkisian recruited Bailey during his time at Alabama, could both reconnect and finally come together in Austin starting in 2022?5. Harrison Bailey (Tennessee)
Bailey’s arm has always shown promise, the lanky 6’4 former 5 star QB showed that quickly in his career. Below is his second throw against Texas A&M as a true freshman, where he finds the corner route off of the play action fake and delivers a great ball for the big pickup through the air.
Heading into 2021, I was expecting Bailey to land the starting job for Tennessee due to his impressive play during the Spring scrimmage. He looked more poised, controlled, and even flashed some nice arm talent in the outing. Below was a successful go route Bailey hit early in his appearance to score a touchdown and tie things up 7-7.
The issue when it comes to Harrison Bailey is he has his struggles when handling pressure. He isn’t the most mobile QB, and you don't need to be, but here in his 2020 play against Texas A&M you can see as he gets cement feet when the pocket starts to collapse in and behind the Longhorn OL and just in general, that won’t do.
Still this clip and most of the tape that I can evaluate is from 2020, his true freshman season. It’s hard to think that Bailey wouldn’t have developed his game in that time, and some additional work with Sarkisian could easily help him continue to grow and bounce back from the slow start to his college career.
Prediction if not Texas: Florida State
4. Myles Brennan (LSU)
Following the Joe Burrow lead 2019 season, Myles Brennan was poised to be next in line for the Tigers with hopes that there would be little to no drop off in the transition. Between injuries, opt outs, and probably a little bit of championship hangover… the Tigers struggled in 2020. Brennan still was able to look impressive in his three games available, where he delivered 1,112 yards with 11 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.4. Myles Brennan (LSU)
Due to injuries, Brennan hasn’t been able to find the field much, and now he is entering the portal looking for a chance to start and compete at a new program. The former 4 star recruit will be a 6th year senior entering 2022 and should provide veteran leadership wherever he lands. For a program like Texas, adding an experienced leader and capable quarterback in one player would be a great way to kill two birds with one stone.
LSU entered the 2020 season on a sour note with many holes on the roster and it resulted in an upset loss in Week 1 to Mississippi State, however Brennan made multiple plays in the air to keep them in it, including this 20 yard strike mid-way through the second perfectly placed between the crashing safety and the corner lingering underneath.
Brennan isn’t just some boring pocket passer either, he in his best 2020 performance against Missouri he gets outside of a collapsing pocket and delivers a strike downfield while on the move. Throws like this are huge for a quarterback to make because the truth of college football is sometimes you just need bailed out, and Brennan offers the arm talent to be able to make that happen for you.
Brennan’s best trait has to be his touch, the ability to place a ball perfectly to keep it away from the defense but in stride with your receiver, and Brennan does it with grace. Here against Missouri watch as he lofts a ball up perfectly into the corner for Terrace Marshall to tap his feet and come away with the score. Brennan flashed the ability to deliver balls like this with natural instinct and made plays like this on multiple occasions in his short time as the Tigers’ QB.
The big concern surrounding Myles Brennan has to be durability, he missed numerous games over the course of the 2020 season due to injuries, and missed the 2021 season due to a freakish incident where he broke his arm before a fishing trip. Still Brennan is a veteran QB that could intrigue this staff for a short term fix to the QB issue while they give Murphy a year to develop and hope Arch follows shortly after. If Brennan can get back to his play when he looked sharp in 2020, then he would be a great addition to the Texas QB room for the 2022 season.
Prediction if not Texas: Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Ole Miss, or Cincinnati
3. Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma)
I expect many in the comment section to hate the idea. I get it, Rattler has his red flags, and he struggled under someone who is widely regarded as the best offensive mind in college football. However, I think the struggles can be ironed out. So much of football and playing quarterback is confidence, and when Rattler had it he was one of the best players in the country.3. Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma)
The former 5 star dual-threat QB came to Oklahoma and bucked the trend of transfer quarterbacks finding their spot in Norman. Now, Rattler seems to be on his way out. Jeff Banks recruited Rattler while most of this staff was at Alabama and the mix of past familiarity, and the chance at revenge could entice the electric playmaker to rock burnt orange next season.
Let’s start with the good, and it’s likely what you’ve already heard before. Spencer Rattler has one of the best pure arms in the country, and not just at the college level. Rattler has the luxury of being able to zip the ball 40 yards down field on a line when he feels like it, and thus opens up the playbook to have routes run all over the field. Here in the play below, Spencer Rattler zips a pass about 35 yards to Marvin Mims putting it just out of reach of the defenders, and Mims takes it the rest of the way for a score.
Here is some 2020 film, when we saw Rattler playing some of his best football. He gets pummeled by the defender while still delivering a better deep ball than anything Texas has put together all season. I know it’s deeper than highlights, but Rattler makes plays like this consistently and if he can find his groove again, Xavier Worthy is going to continue to beat the defense deep and will be waiting for passes like this.
The big issue with Rattler is simple, he’s greedy. It can result in some beautiful plays when it works, but when it doesn’t it’s infuriating. Rattler has some of the best natural talent out there, and he knows it. So the traditional pass for six yards gets passed over because he knows he can roll out and extend the play and potentially hit a guy for 20+. Against Texas was a great example of that, he looks directly at the developing hitch route and sees it wide open for the first down, instead Rattler moves to extend the play and misses the pass (almost getting picked off) and the Sooners have to settle for the field goal.
The questions surrounding Rattler are plentiful, rumors of off-field issues, troubles diagnosing plays, and the fact that many of the fan base has hated him for three years now. However, the talent is there, and the potential is higher than many. Rattler is a complete lottery ticket, but one that could pay off in a major way. Sarkisian is looking for a playmaker at QB, and turning the former Oklahoma star who was benched into a Texas legend would be a great feat for all involved.
Prediction if not Texas: Ole Miss or Arizona State
2. Michael Pratt (Tulane)
On the surface, this suggestion might get some people riled up. What am I doing suggesting Texas go out and try to acquire a G5 QB for a team that is currently 1-9 on the season with their only victory coming against a bottom feeder FCS team? It’s ridiculous... crazy... senile, pull out the thesaurus, call me whatever you’d like, but by the end of the year you’d be calling me right. *knocks on wood*2. Michael Pratt (Tulane)
Michael Pratt arrived at Tulane as a three star quarterback and immediately worked his way into the starting lineup, from there Pratt only continued to shine. As a true freshman, Pratt posted 20 touchdowns in the air and 1,806 yards. He only completed 55.1% of his passes, but the talent flashed.
Entering his sophomore season, expectations were sky high for Pratt and Tulane as a whole, but things haven’t gone right for the Green Wave as they sit at 1-9 on the season. Still, Pratt has been able to stand out from the watches on film. Posted below you can see Michael Pratt’s natural arm talent on a deep post against Ole Miss.
If the name sounds familiar, you probably remember Pratt from Oklahoma’s season opening barn burner with Tulane, where Pratt put the team on his back in what ultimately ended up a 40-35 defeat. Still Pratt shined through, here below is a great delivery to the opposite hash where only his receiver can make a play on it.
One of the biggest needs for whoever is QB next year will be the ability to handle pressure. While it’s a quick read and throw, Pratt stands strong with a defender coming on strong and delivers a quick strike to pick up solid yardage on first down. It isn’t flashy, but these small plays are a huge recipe for success over the course of the game, and has played a huge part in Texas’ struggles.
Pratt can make the plays at all levels of the field, here you can see him deliver an absolute dime (that ended up being dropped) while taking a huge hit up the middle. Oklahoma’s defense wasn’t all it was hyped up to be, but the front seven severely outmatched Tulane’s protection, yet Pratt stood tall and delivered throws all game.
On the final play I’ll show, here is another great trait that should have many Longhorns buy into Pratt, the guy is tough. A willing runner who will lower his shoulder to pick up the extra yard. This game was perceived as over, Tulane down 37-14, and Pratt easily could’ve slid as they had three more tries at the end zone. Instead, he went barrelling into three tacklers and sparked what would be a great season opening comeback for Tulane.
Pratt is certainly one of the riskier plays, and there is a solid chance he is committed to staying at Tulane, but if Sarkisian has a chance, I hope he and his staff let Pratt’s people know they’re interested, because I think he could be just what the Longhorns need at QB to turn things around.
Prediction if not Texas: Stays or LSU
1. Quinn Ewers (Ohio State)
Based on our interactions, the rest of the Orangebloods staff is probably going to hate me for even entertaining this as a realistic possibility, sorry y’all. Ewers likely went to Ohio State a year early knowing that CJ Stroud would be the starter until his departure for the pros. However, there has been some circling speculation that the highly touted recruit is having some thoughts on potentially transferring. Along with those rumors, there is an attachment that he would like to transfer back to the state of Texas. Two teams have seemed to grab the headlines regarding those rumors: the Texas A&M Aggies, and the Texas Longhorns.1. Quinn Ewers (Ohio State)
The Aggies recently have had the QB position come into question after Haynes King fractured his leg in the Colorado game. Zach Calzada has stepped into the role and has had his moments, but truly the QB position could still be had by Ewers if he were to head to College Station. However, there is even less question on the chance to win the job if he heads back to Austin with a large opportunity of playing for the next two seasons in burnt orange.
There are always downsides to additions like this, a Ewers arrival likely means Maalik Murphy isn’t long for Texas. It could even mean Thompson and Card depart via the portal themselves. However, Ewers is a perceived game-changing talent at the quarterback spot, and being able to add him (and hopefully a few offensive linemen and weapons) could transcend this offense towards competing for the conference, and dare I say it… playoffs.
While the odds are Ewers doesn’t transfer, or transfers somewhere a little more ready than Texas, I will entertain the idea and wish on every star that shoots across the night sky that it happens. Regardless of if it becomes reality, this list is ranking the top potential portal options, and Quinn Ewers is rightfully in the top place until further notice.
Prediction if not Texas: Stays or Texas A&M
Other Potential Options:
Emory Jones (Florida) - Unlikely to enter and that’s why he’s here instead of inside the eight, but if Mullen gets canned or leaves and the new coach names Richardson the starter, Jones could become an option sometime in Fall camp.Haynes King (Texas A&M) - Hey if Quinn Ewers transfers to A&M, King could hit the market. He offers nice playmaking upside to be a great addition to the offense.
Graham Mertz (Wisconsin) - Rumors are swirling that the Badgers could bring in competition for Mertz through the portal. That could go poorly if mishandled and lead Mertz to leave himself. I feel Mertz has shown some promise but not progressed as he should in Wisconsin, maybe Sarkisian can work the old QB guru magic and turn him into what he was hyped up to be entering as a freshman.
Charlie Brewer (Utah) - I’ll be honest, Brewer would be a horrendous signing in my book, but the guy succeeded under Rhule at Baylor and leaves Utah in hopes of finding one last ride at the college level.
Miller Moss (USC) - Jaxson Dart seems to have established himself as next in line at USC, which means Moss could be heading out the door. Sarkisian recruited him for Alabama, and could look to reunite with him here at Texas.
Jack Plummer (Purdue) - Pulled in the Notre Dame game, with O’Connell seeming to have hold on the job, Plummer likely enters the portal as a dependable pocket passer looking for a fresh start.
Jacob Zeno (Baylor) - With Bohanon winning the job and Shapen appearing to be next in line, Zeno hits the transfer portal with a nice set of tools that could make him an intriguing option with both arm talent and mobility to offer.
Chubba Purdy (Florida State) - The highly touted recruit leaves Tallahassee after failing to get play time. The former 4 star recruit likely gets another shot at a Power 5 school or high end G5 program.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In full, Texas has options for the portal this offseason and every sign points to the idea they’ll explore to find a new quarterback. In this ranking, the QB options were weighted in a pure vacuum. Ideally, the transfer QB arrives and does extremely well for a year before they leave for the pros, Maalik shines for two years, and Arch (who may not even want to sit for a year) then takes over after that.
The hiring of a head coach is similar to handing an artist a blank canvas and paying them for a painting. You can make your best guess for what will occur, but it will truly take some time until we get the full picture. The quarterback position is going to give a lot of clarity on what the Sarkisian era should look like for the next five years with resolution to who should be under center, what style of player he prefers, and what Sark’s level of evaluating talent is. Let’s hope Sark’s got some Bob Ross in him.
Last edited:
