The poor performance by Texas Longhorns sophomore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes during the Texas Bowl illustrated the need for more competition at the position heading into the 2015 season and there's at least one graduate transfer possibility who seems like a good fit.
With UAB's Cody Clements heading to South Alabama and Ohio State's Braxton Miller still seeming like a longshot with rumors of his interest in other programs, that leaves Notre Dame's Everett Golson and Stanford's Kevin Hogan as more likely options.
There were reports connecting Golson to LSU on Monday afternoon, to which he sent out the following tweet:
Don't believe everything you hear..
— Everett Golson (@Everett_Golson5) January 5, 2015
So it's probably premature to talk about any serious connections between Golson and other schools with several months until he graduates.
Likewise for Hogan, who has already been connected to Maryland, but what follows is why he's more appealing than the turnover-prone Golson, who threw 14 interceptions and lost eight fumbles in 2014.
At 6'4 and 228 pounds, Hogan looks like the type of pro-style quarterback that the staff already recruited in New Mexico commit Zach Gentry and failed USC transfer Max Wittek last spring. A starter over multiple seasons now, Hogan possesses a strong arm and is capable of playing at a high level, with seven games in 2014 in which he had a completion percentage of 70% or better.
But he also struggled at times with his accuracy and his consistency, which could have contributed to some rumored friction between he and head coach David Shaw. And with such a heavy focus on the running game, he may not have to been able to show off his skill set in the way he would like, a chance that he would be given to a greater extent at Texas.
Since the Texas staff used some elements of the quarterback run game in 2014, he would fit well there to after gaining 650 yards on the ground over the last two seasons and ripping off three runs of 30 or more yards and five rushing touchdowns in 2014 -- he's not an explosive runner, but he's big and tough to bring down and likely doesn't suffer from the same misunderstanding of his athleticism compared to his competition that has often hurt Swoopes.
There will be some competition for Hogan's services if he does decide to transfer and there are some schools out there with graduating quarterbacks instead of a returning starter, but right now, Hogan looks like the best short-term fix for the significant Texas quarterback woes.