Steve Sarkisian Explains Decision to Add New Texas Longhorns QB

The Texas Longhorns landed a new quarterback from the transfer portal this offseason.

Jan 1, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian during the first half of the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

AUSTIN -- The Texas Longhorns dipped into the transfer portal this offseason to address multiple areas of the roster, but not many expected the quarterback position to be one of them.

Already set with Arch Manning as the starter headed into the 2025 season, Texas also landed Troy transfer quarterback Matthew Caldwell from the portal, a move that head coach Steve Sarkisian said came down to depth purposes.

“We’ve had four straight years where our starting QB’s gone down," Sarkisian said, per Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods. "We’ve got two young, talented guys, but adding an older, experienced QB puts us in the best spot for a long season. You need depth to survive 17 games.”

Now-former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers missed at least two games due to injury in each of his three seasons with the Longhorns. In total, he missed seven games in his Texas career, including two this past season after suffering an abdominal injury in the win over UTSA in September.

Fans will be hoping that Manning can avoid a simlar injury bug, but if he does end up missing some time, a veteran like Caldwell could step in and handle the reins.

Caldwell began his college career at Jacksonville State before playing the next two seasons at Gardner-Webb. Yet, it was in 2024 with Troy that marked the best season of his career, completing 141 of 223 passes for 1,608 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Caldwell also added five rushing touchdowns, the most by a Troy quarterback since the 2017 campaign.

He started the final five games of the season for Troy and six total, including a September road start against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Caldwell finished that game 14 of 21 passing for 156 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 38-21 loss.

Caldwell's best game of the season came in a win over Georgia Southern when he went 26 of 32 passing for 288 yards, two touchdowns and no picks while adding two more scores with his legs. He was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week and Manning Star of the Week for his efforts.

The Longhorns will begin the 2025 season in Columbus against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Aug. 30 at 12 p.m. CT.