Nine of the 12 FBS programs in the state of Texas entered spring with a quarterback battle in the forefront of the mind. Arguably, only Houston (Clayton Tune), UTSA (Frank Harris), UTEP (Gavin Hardison) are secure at the quarterback spot. Even SMU’s Tanner Mordecai, who threw for more yards than any other FBS player in the state during the 2021 season, is facing pressure from a backup with former four-star Preston Stone nipping at his heels. That means all five P5 quarterback jobs are up for grabs. 

Quarterback is the sexy position in modern football. The NFL Draft proves its importance as teams reach each season in the first round. Teams without quality quarterback play are doomed to mediocrity. Teams that find superior quarterback play are significantly more hopeful about the present and the future. That is true for college, as well. Maybe defense still wins championships, but the passing game gets you there. 

With spring practice in full swing across the state, let’s examine the P5 quarterback competitions that will determine the fate of the 2022 season. Most of these quarterback battles are sure to rage on into the summer and fall camp. A few might even bleed into the start of the season. 

TEXAS LONGHORNS 

Quinn Ewers vs. Hudson Card 

Ewers took a long, windy road from Southlake Carroll to Austin. The former five-star recruit and No. 1 prospect in the 2022 recruiting class reclassified to the 2021 cycle and bolted from high school a year early for greener pastures at Ohio State. He failed to win the starting job, recorded zero pass attempts, and left Columbus as a transfer following the 2021 season, which realistically should have been his senior year in high school. Ewers hasn’t thrown a pass since the Southlake Carroll loss to Westlake in the 2021 Class 6A Division I state championship game. 

Card, a four-star prospect out of Lake Travis in the 2020 class, was also highly touted as a prep star. He threw for more than 6,400 yards in his two-year stint as starting quarterback for the Cavaliers, and he started the first two games for Texas in 2021. Card ended the year with 590 yards and five touchdowns with a 61.45 percent completion rate. Card knows Steve Sarkisian’s offense, and the two will split first-team reps for the duration of spring practice, per Sarkisian. 

Ewers must be considered the favorite. He picked Texas as a transfer because he thought the quarterback position was his to lose. Ewers is the better passer, especially on deep balls. He’s not as athletic as Card, but that doesn’t matter as much in Sarkisian’s scheme. Card winning the full-time job would shock many people, including Ewers. The fascinating scenario is if Ewers doesn’t win the job because nothing in his last two years suggests he’s the type to stick around through adversity. 

DCTF pick: Ewers 

TEXAS A&M AGGIES 

Haynes King vs. Max Johnson vs. Conner Weigman

The Aggies enter spring with three options at quarterback. King won the starting job prior to the 2021 season, but he only lasted five quarters before a season-ending injury cost him his redshirt freshman season. A four-star from Longview who won the Lobos a state title during his prep career, King possesses a live arm and incredible athleticism for a quarterback. Head coach Jimbo Fisher is notoriously tough on quarterbacks, so it likely helps that King grew up the son of an East Texas coach known for tough love. King threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns in the Week 1 win over Kent State. He was hurt in the first quarter against Colorado in Week 2. 

To retain his starting job, King must beat out LSU transfer Max Johnson and true freshman Conner Weigman. Johnson became the starter at LSU late in his freshman season in 2020. He threw for 21 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2021 but decided to transfer after a coaching change in Baton Rouge. Weigman is a highly touted prospect out of Cypress Bridgeland who is also a star on the baseball diamond. 

King’s experience running Fisher’s offense gives the Longview native the inside track. He’s earned Fisher’s trust once before, and it is hard to imagine a transfer or a true freshman earning the job over King heading into Week 1 of the season. This feels like a position battle that will continue into the season. 

DCTF pick: King

BAYLOR BEARS 

Gerry Bohanon vs. Blake Shapen vs. Kyron Drones 

Baylor realized a quarterback battle was on its hands in the offseason when Shapen looked sharp in relief of an injured Bohanon late in the 2021 season. Shapen led the Bears to victory against Texas Tech to clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game, and then again against Oklahoma State to win the crown. Shapen was excellent in the first half against Oklahoma State, but an injury derailed him in the second half which forced him out of the Sugar Bowl. 

Bohanon is a team leader who played well in 2021, especially in the first half of the season when he wasn’t turning the ball over. Bohanon finished the season with 2,200 yards passing and 18 touchdowns to seven interceptions. Shapen, for comparison, completed 72.09 percent of his passes and finished the year with a higher passer rating. The wildcard is Drones, a redshirt freshman oozing with potential as a passer and in the run game. 

Shapen threw 86 attempts in 2021 without an interception. Bohanon was the clear-cut starter early in the year, and he’s clearly a player that his teammates love and respect. Drones is a physical freak who impressed in the weight room throughout the offseason. Head coach Dave Aranda and offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes have a difficult decision in front of them, but it is a battle that may trickle into the season. 

DCTF pick: Shapen  

TCU HORNED FROGS 

Max Duggan vs. Chandler Morris 

Duggan enters the 2022 season, the first without Gary Patterson at the helm in Fort Worth this century, with 29 starts under his belt over the past three seasons. Duggan started 10 of TCU’s 12 games in 2021, passing for 2,048 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions with a 63.88 completion percentage. He also led the Horned Frogs with 105 passing attempts, though, some of those are sacks. Duggan ran for three touchdowns on the season. 

Morris only made two starts on the year prior to injury, but the first was memorable. He led TCU to a 30-28 win over eventual Big 12 champion, and hated rival, Baylor late in the year. Morris played one of the best games in program history, passing for 461 yards and adding 70 more on the ground. His 531 total yards in the win were the second-most by a TCU player in school history. Morris arrived at TCU after spending his first season (2020) at Oklahoma. 

Projecting quarterback battles under a new regime is hard, especially one led by a head coach with an offensive mind such as Sonny Dykes. Will Dykes favor the experience of Duggan or the upside of Morris? That is what spring practice is likely to decide. 

DCTF pick: Duggan 

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS 

Tyler Shough vs. Donovan Smith vs. Behren Morton 

Shough arrived in Lubbock prior to the 2021 season after a promising career at Oregon. He started the first four games of the season until a broken collarbone sidelined him for the rest of the year. He received a medical hardship and is back to compete for the starting spot alongside two talented youngsters. Shough completed 69.57 of his passes and threw for 218 yards per game in his four starts. 

Smith, who excelled in his first career start in a win over Iowa State, was the third quarterback to play for Texas Tech in 2021. He completed 61.15 percent of his passes, and he offers a threat in the running game. The Las Vegas native started the final four games of the year and led the Red Raiders to a 2-2 record, including a win over Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl. 

Morton is the wildcard. He was a four-star recruit out of high school who spurned multiple other P5 offers to stay in West Texas. He’ll get a fresh start to compete with more experienced players thanks to a new coaching staff in Lubbock. New offensive coordinator Zach Kittley led high-powered passing attacks at Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky over the last two seasons. His quarterback, Bailey Zappe, threw the ball a lot and completed a high percentage of his passes. That gives the most accurate passer an advantage. 

DCTF pick: Shough