For Sarkisian, playing quarterback comes with a catch
— When Texas coach Steve Sarkisian evaluates a quarterback, he’s rarely transfixed by ball velocity or spiral integrity or cannon-armed heaves.
Those things all matter, to an extent. But to Sarkisian, every other physical quality that goes into being a good quarterback is secondary to one all-important trait.
“Basically the one thing I look for in a quarterback early on is, does he throw a catchable ball,” Sarkisian explained Tuesday after spring practice No. 9. “Because the idea when you call pass plays is to complete them. And to complete passes, most likely, you have to put it in an area with the right velocity and/or touch to allow the receiver to catch the ball and advance the football.
“I think there are some things fundamentally we can work on to enhance their accuracy, but I think some people have a knack for throwing an accurate ball, a catchable ball. And some people don’t, no matter how talented they are.”
Throwing catchable passes is a skill both junior Casey Thompson and redshirt freshman Hudson Card appear to have. Sarkisian called it a “natural trait,” and no one who has seen the two sling oblong balls would have much basis for a counterargument.
Thompson threw nothing but catchable balls in his only EXAUSTIN
tended action at Texas. He carved up Colorado in the second half of the Alamo Bowl last season, completing 8 of 10 passes for 170 yards and four touchdowns to finish with an eye-popping 354.8 quarterback rating.
Card’s emergence in this program’s first offseason quarterback battle since 2018 might seem surprising considering he attempted just three passes as a true freshman. But the former Lake Travis All-american’s practice exploits already have become the stuff of legend.
Plus, in his final two high school seasons Card completed 394 of 588 passes (67.0 percent) for 5,831 passing yards with 74 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Seems like he throws a friendly ball, too.
Sarkisian said he has tried approaching this roster devoid of any preconceived notions.
“I didn’t come in with expectations. I came in with a clean slate,” Sarkisian said. “So I don’t think they’ve surprised me in anything, because anything that they’ve done well I’ve accepted them for doing it well. Any areas where maybe they’ve struggled some, I just felt like OK, this is an area for us to work on. So I didn’t, I didn’t come in with an expectation of one way or another.
“I mean, clearly they’re both very athletic young men. They throw the ball well. I think they’ve got a good grasp of what we’re trying to do. Now it’s just getting into the flow of, of letting things happen naturally, and not playing quite as robotic. And that comes with reps and getting into different situations and scenarios. But I think all in all, I’m pleased with where we’re at at that position.”
Okafor making impression
Offensive lineman Denzel Okafor is one of several “super seniors” who took advantage of the NCAA waiver granting athletes an additional year of eligibility, no strings attached. So far he’s been one of this offseason’s standout performers. “I think Denzel is probably playing as good if not better than anybody up front right now for us,” Sarkisian said.
Okafor debuted for Texas way back in 2016, playing primarily special teams and in the 18-wheeler package during Charlie Strong’s final season. But it wasn’t until 2020 that he became entrenched on the first unit, starting nine straight games at right guard before missing the Alamo Bowl because of COVID-19 contact tracing.
Alongside Okafor, Sarkisian highlighted fifth-year senior tight end Cade Brewer and sixth-year offensive lineman Tope Imade as veterans who have impressed. Brewer is expected to start; Imade is battling to become a starter for the first time.
“I think Cade’s got a great grasp of what we’re trying to do, and we see his versatility,” Sarkisian said. “And I think Tope here is gonna find his way through it all as well.”
“These guys have played a lot of football,” he added. “They’re quick studies and quick learners because they’ve been through a lot. And then you see their maturity. They have they have the ability to persevere when practice gets hard and still play at a high level. And they’re great examples for a lot of our younger players to look to of how they approach each day.”