Report: Hudson Card wins Texas' QB battle

Redshirt freshman quarterback Hudson Card will start Texas' season opener against Louisiana on Sept. 4 after beating out Casey Thompson for the job, a source told The Athletic's Bruce Feldman.

Card and Thompson split first-team snaps during camp, and head coach Steve Sarkisian praised both signal-callers throughout the offseason.

The Longhorns' starting quarterback position became open after Sam Ehlinger entered the NFL draft following a four-season stint with the program. Ehlinger racked up 11,436 yards and 94 touchdowns against 27 interceptions through 46 appearances with Texas. He also rushed for 33 scores from 2017-2020, the second-most in school history.

Many saw Thompson as an early favorite for the starting role after his solid performance as Ehlinger's replacement in the second half of last season's Alamo Bowl. However, his experience advantage likely disappeared when head coach Tom Herman was fired after the 2020 campaign.

Thompson also struggled with turnovers during camp, according to 247Sports' Chip Brown.

Card, a Texas native, briefly appeared in two games last year as the Longhorns' third-stringer behind Ehlinger and Thompson.

Sarkisian joined Texas in January after spending the previous two years as Alabama's offensive coordinator. With Card under center, the 47-year-old coach hopes to end a long stretch of underperforming campaigns for the Longhorns, who haven't won the Big 12 since the 2009 season.