Steve Sarkisian Names Texas QB2 For Alamo Bowl Against Washington
Hudson Card's time on the Forty Acres was always expected to come to end following the 2022 season. Who will take his place for one final game in the Alamo City?
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian announced Thursday that freshman Maalik Murphy will replace Card as the backup quarterback for the Alamo Bowl against No. 12 Washington on Dec. 29 in San Antonio.
"Maalik is a great example ... that you're the No. 2 and what do you need to do and how do you need to do it and how do you go about your business," Sarkisian said during the Alamo Bowl introductory press conference.
Card officially entered the transfer portal Monday after three seasons in Austin. He will have three years of eligibility remaining at his next destination.
Murphy, SI All-American's No. 7 quarterback prospect during the 2022 recruiting cycle, spent most of the year rehabbing a lower-body injury suffered during his final season at Junipero Serra. During the fourth quarter of December’s California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division 1-A championship against Bakersfield Liberty, Murphy left the game with a dislocated ankle and not return.
The Longhorns (8-4, 6-3 Big 12) were content resting Murphy due to the status of Card and starter Quinn Ewers. After winning the job outright in fall camp, Ewers suffered an AC joint in Week 2's loss against Alabama, leading to Card starting for the next three games.
Card, one of the top recruits of the 2020 recruiting class, went 2-1, throwing for 741 yards and six touchdowns against one interception. Ewers returned for the Longhorns' 49-0 win over Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown and remained behind center for the remainder of the season.
Card, who threw for 1,523 yards and 11 touchdowns against two interceptions in two years, is expected to be one of the more sought-after quarterbacks on the transfer market. Several schools linked to the redshirt sophomore include Oregon, Notre Dame, TCU and Kentucky.
Ewers threw for 1,808 yards and 18 touchdowns with eight interceptions. When asked if Ewers would remain the starter past the Alamo Bowl, Sarkisian was non-committal to the former Ohio State transfer being QB1.
“Like every year, we'll go into the offseason and wipe the slate clean and let these guys compete and battle and see what it looks like, because that's what makes us better," Sarkisian said following the Longhorns' season finale victory over Baylor. "And, ultimately, when other guys are working at their craft, that should motivate us to want to continue to improve our game.”
Murphy is one of two quarterbacks currently on Texas' roster behind Ewers. Freshman Charles Wright, a native of Austin, will be third string against the Huskies (10-2, 7-2 Pac-12).
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