Hudson Card is focused on himself ahead of his second quarterback competition

On3 imageby:Joe Cook07/21/22

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Hudson Card won the Texas starting quarterback job over Casey Thompson prior to the 2021 season, but after struggling on the road versus Arkansas he surrendered the No. 1 role and stepped back to second-string on the depth chart.

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Card still played meaningful snaps after his benching, including in games at Iowa State and West Virginia. He seemed to be on the brink of a breakthrough in Morgantown, W.Va., but an ankle injury ended his season during Texas’ sixth-consecutive loss.

Thompson transferred out and Quinn Ewers transferred in since the end of the 2021 campaign, but just like last year, Card is in a competition to be QB1 when week one rolls around.

Speaking at a camp made possible by year-old NIL rules, Card said even with a new face (and hairdo) competing against him to be the starter, his focus has been and will continue to be on himself.

“Obviously, it’s something I don’t focus on,” Card said Wednesday about Ewers joining the Longhorns. “I focus on myself. I don’t let the outside noise or anything get to me. I’m just focused on myself, and I’m going to do the best I can do to help the team win.”

Card, who along with fellow Texas quarterback Charles Wright helped elementary and middle school quarterbacks with the finer points of the position at the camp, said he has spent a lot of the offseason working on pocket awareness and building on-field connections with his wide receivers. Those aspects were two of the more glaring deficiencies in his game until the glimpses appeared against WVU.

At multiple junctures during the offseason, Card admitted he has felt far more comfortable. He is not only in year two under Steve Sarkisian, but also in year two of playing in Sarkisian’s offense. In the competition with Ewers, experience is on the side of the third-year Lake Travis product. That experience has helped him build needed rapport with teammates.

“I think it comes easier, and you get guys’ trust on a team after playing and after showing your capabilities,” Card said. “Summer has helped me grow a lot to grow in my leadership role, and just continue to grow it and try to bring others along.”

Sarkisian mentioned at Big 12 Media Days that the additional time he has with quarterbacks in the summer could help him render a decision on who his starting quarterback is at an earlier juncture than last year, when Card was informed he was the starter one week before the season-opener versus Louisiana.

But whether or not the coach who will decide on Texas’ QB1 was present, Card has had a clear goal in every offseason activity.

“Work on my weaknesses, try to get better each and every day, and try to pull the team along with me. Just go out there and give it my all each and every day,” Card said.

The last part, pulling the team along with him, is something he has mentioned needed a significant amount of growth. Whether he has made the growth necessary in on-field or off-field facets to become the Texas starting quarterback is yet to be determined. What Card does know is how much is looking forward to the season.

“We’ve done a great job of working as a team throughout this winter conditioning and summer conditioning, and we’re really excited to be out there,” Card said. “We have a good mindset going in, especially coming from last year, and I know our guys are really focused. We’re ready to go out there and compete.”

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