Longhorns’ Thompson enters the transfer portal
AUSTIN — Fourth-year Texas quarterback Casey Thompson has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal, per multiple reports.
Though he was listed as a junior in 2021, because of the NCAA’s one-time COVID-19 waiver, Thompson will have two years of eligibility remaining. News of Thompson’s decision came two days after Texas signed two quarterbacks to its 2022 class: Ohio State five-star transfer Quinn Ewers and four-star Maalik Murphy of Junipero Serra (Calif.).
Thompson emerged from former Longhorn Sam Ehlinger’s shadow last season, splitting reps with redshirt freshman Hudson Card over Texas’ first two games before starting its final 10. He completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 2,113 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions while leading the Longhorns to wins over Rice, Texas Tech, TCU and Kansas State.
Over his first four starts, Thompson completed 65of-97 passes (67.0 percent) for 997 yards with 12 touchdowns, three interceptions and one rushing score. But in the final game of that stretch, a skid-starting 55-48 loss to No. 6 Oklahoma, Thompson injured the thumb on his throwing hand.
He wasn’t nearly as effective the rest of the season as the injury persisted and Texas faced superior defenses. Over Texas’ next six games, Thompson completed 60.3 percent of his passes for 1,018 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
“I think that we have to open that job up,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said last month of the quarterback position. “I think we have to let these guys compete to see the development. We’re gonna tear this thing all the way down and we’re gonna start this thing back at square one come winter conditioning and then into spring ball.”
Now Texas will have one less arm in that competition.