Every transfer quarterback or potential transfer quarterback or Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback throwing up what could have been a "hook 'em Horns" sign after the national championship game is enough to send the imaginations of Texas Longhorns fans racing, so imagine what happened when this news broke on Wednesday evening:
Arizona QB Connor Brewer received a release from his scholarship to transfer today. Brewer will have a degree and 2 years to play.
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) January 15, 2015
o_O
Brewer, of course, was a member of the 2012 Texas class and, in fact, one of the ringleaders of what was then known as Texas Gang or Die. Out of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral, Brewer was the highly-coveted, prolific, and seemingly polished Under Armour All-American who also participated in the Elite 11 Finals.
He's also still the only quarterback in Arizona history to win three state championships.
Ranked as the No. 4 pro-style passer nationally, Brewer committed to the Longhorns before the first Junior Day in 2011 despite offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Stanford, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.
At a time when David Ash had struggled as a freshman, Garrett Gilbert was gone from the program, and Case McCoy didn't look like a long-term option, Brewer seemingly had a real chance to emerge as the starter when he arrived.
instead, Ash had an up-and-down 2012 season as Brewer redshirted, following major lows with significant highs and ultimately finishing the season on a positive note in the Alamo Bowl against Oregon State.
So when Brewer got arrested for being a minor in possession of alcohol and public intoxication the next February, lost reps to early enrollee Tyrone Swoopes the next spring, then faced the potential to lose reps to McCoy in the fall after the younger McCoy had spent the summer away from the program, the Arizona native decided to take his chances elsewhere with Ash seemingly entrenched as the starter.
So Brewer transferred back home to Arizona, with friend and fellow 2012 prospect Cayleb Jones eventually followed him to Tucson.
But it didn't work out there, either, as Jones emerged while Brewer was consigned to the bench after losing the job to a redshirt freshman in Anu Solomon who went on to pass for almost 3,800 yards and 28 touchdowns and solidify himself as the starter.
Once again looking for a place to land, Texas might be an option with the current quarterback situation and few other legitimate graduate transfer options out there -- since Brewer has his degree, he will be eligible immediately, with an extra year of eligibility compared to most graduate transfers.
It would be unusual for a prospect to leave a program and then return, but TCU offensive tackle Tayo Fabuluje just did it and Brewer might be interested in playing for the new staff with a true quarterback competition guaranteed in the spring.
Brewer still hasn't thrown a college pass and may have benefitted tremendously in high school from an offense that featured a big-time playmaker in Davonte Neal and relatively poor competition compared to the same level at the state of Texas.
Coming out of high school, there was some thought that he might just be a rich man's Kellen Moore, but so far hasn't managed to be a poor man's Kellen Moore.
Still, Brewer could conceivably win the starting job for Texas if there ends up being mutual interest and that may say many bad things about the state of things in Austin, but maybe Brewer could end up earning the playing time that escaped him the first time.
At this point, just about anything is worth talking about, right?
And right now, I ain't too proud to beg.