From 1998-2009 11 Quarterbacks competed To Win The Starting Quarterback Position At Texas. 4 Won 123 Games, And Two Won 4 Games. The Other 4 Transferred.
1998 - Richard Walton, Robert Koy and Major Applewhite, Greg Cicero
Robert Koy - 1997-1998
Richard Walton was a coach's son, starting as quarterback for Bay City for three years, earning All-American status as a senior.
His first start for Texas was a 21-13 win over Baylor in 1995 where he replaced an injured James Brown, a win that helped Texas win the last SWC championship. His second start, again in place of an injured James Brown, was in the 1997 UCLA game, in which Texas lost 66-3 - the second-worst loss in Texas history. He also saw considerable playing time in the 1996 Virginia game, 1996 Baylor game, 1997 Rutgers game, and 1997 Colorado game, as Walton replaced an injured or struggling James Brown.
In 1998 after winning the starting job, and winning his first game as the team's unquestioned leader, he broke his hand in the UCLA game and was replaced by Major Applewhite.
First, Applewhite had to battle Greg Cicero for the starting job after Walton’s injury. (In 1999 Greg transferred to Baylor and had a successful career with the Bears.)
Walton was supposed to be out 4-6 weeks, but Applewhite played so well that he kept the job the whole season. Once he recovered from his injury, Walton saw only occasional play. Major Applewhite praised Richard for his unselfish mature view of his season-ending injury. “Richard helped me because I was very young and had no clue what was happening. …he was very gracious and mature about the situation.”Applewhite said, “You hate it for the guy ahead of you because you don’t want to get your opportunity that way," Applewhite said. "But I was excited to get a chance to play college football. This is your chance. This is your opportunity. He opened the door for you; let’s make the most of it.
Applewhite's tenure was noted both for his often gritty heroics. Applewhite led Texas to two Big 12 Championship games, to victory in 2 Bowl games, and set 48 school records along the way. Applewhite went 8–2 as a starter, including upsets of Nebraska and Texas A & M. In a blowout victory over O.U. Applewhite threw a 97-yard touchdown pass to Wane McGarity, the longest pass in Texas history. He capped the season by leading the Longhorns to a 38–11 victory over Mississippi State in the Cotton Bowl. It was Texas' first Cotton Bowl victory since 1982.
“There’s always nerves,” Applewhite told KVUE. “I have a hard time brushing my teeth on game day without gagging.”
1999- Major Applewhite, Chris Simms, Adam Hall
In 1999, Applewhite started almost every game, leading Texas to a 9–4 record, a Big 12 South Championship, and the Cotton Bowl. Going into the Texas A&M game, Texas was ranked #5, but after Applewhite and backup quarterback Chris Simms were unable to produce a win. The Horns then loss to Nebraska for the Big 12 and to Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Applewhite suffered a knee injury in the 4th quarter of the Cotton Bowl and was replaced by Simms.
Major and Chris
Chris Simms - starts 32 games wins 26 loses 6 - .813 winning percentage.
1999- Adam Hall -Started his collegiate playing career at Texas in 1999, before transferring to San Diego State after his freshman campaign.
2000- Major Applewhite and Chris Simms
DURING THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THE 21ST CENTURY, THERE WAS A BATTLE TO quarterback THE LONGHORN NATION.
Applewhite started in 2000, but after a loss to Stanford in the second game, Simms was given the start against Houston. Simms struggled in the Houston game, and Applewhite replaced him. After Applewhite was lost for the season with a knee injury against Texas Tech, Chris Simms returned as the starter. Texas went 2–1 with Simms as the quarterback, and Mack Brown was impressed enough to name Simms the starter before spring practice began.
Major started 6 games in 2000 for a season record of 4-2.
2001 - Major Applewhite, Chris Simms, Chance Mock
Major Appllewhite started 1 game and won it.
Applewhite was the backup for Simms for the entirety of the 2001 regular season and Simms led Texas to a #3 ranking and a trip to the Big 12 Championship against #10 Colorado. Texas went into that game knowing that a win would put them in the BCS Championship game, But Simms had a disastrous first half.
Simms injured his finger, and Applewhite entered the game with Texas down 29–10. He led Texas back to within two points, but eventually Texas would come up short losing 39–37 after an onside kick attempt failed.
Major Applewhite earned the starting position for his final game at Texas, the 2001 Holiday Bowl, and he didn't disappoint. In perhaps his finest game, he led Texas from behind three times, throwing for a school-record 473 yards and four touchdowns. In a fourth-quarter aerial assault, Texas scored 23 points in a little over 10 minutes to take the lead, but Washington returned to take the lead again. With 1:49 left in the game, Applewhite engineered a 7-play, 80-yard touchdown drive with passes of 25 and 37 yards to win the game. Applewhite was named the Holiday Bowl MVP as a result. He finished with a record as a starter of 22–8.
Applewhite played in the 2001 Hula Bowl.
2002- Chris Simms, Chance Mock, and Beau Trayhan
Simms never got the win over Oklahoma or the Big 12 championship that would’ve cemented his legacy, but he was the lead dog in what’s arguably the most talented quarterback stable in school history. As a sign of how much the dynamics of the position have changed in nearly 20 years, Young (the No. 1-ranked prospect in the country in 2002) redshirted as a true freshman and it wasn’t seen as a huge deterrent to his future in the program.
Beau Trahan
2003- Chance Mock and Vince Young
Chance Mock was the first native-born Texan to start since 1997. He has a bumper sticker on his truck that says “American by Birth, Texan by the Grace of God.”
Chance Mock Games started 6 games won 4 and loss 2.
Chance Mock was a great quarterback, but as Chance would have it (forgive the pun), Vince Young was his back-up. Only the greatness of Vince Young keeps Chance from setting many records as a quarterback at Texas.
Chance Mock Enters Texas Football History With A Touchdown Pass To B.J. Johnson With Only 46 Seconds Remaining To Beat Texas Tech. He Holds The Longhorn Season Record For Fewest Pass Interceptions (2).
Roy Williams says of Chance, “he likes to hunt, he dips, he fishes, and he wears a John Deere hat, and they want to call me different.”
Bo Scaife says, “he’s just got this aura about him, ” and his teammates love him. Brock Edwards said, “The way he plays inspires me. When he talks and tries to throw down with a linebacker, that gets me going; it gets the whole team's morale going.”
VINCE YOUNG (2003-05) REPLACES CHANCE MOCK
It was not all “Roses” for Vince in his early years as the starting quarterback for Texas. In the book “The Road to Texas” by Mike Roach, Michael Huff shares some of Vinces’ obstacles he had to overcome. Michael says,
I think early on his career, especially when he was battling with Chance Mock, we had one offense. It was built for guys like Chance., but when Vince went in there, they (the coaches) tried to make him a pockert passer. They didn’t let him be creative and be Vince. You could tell he was out of his element (as a pocket passer). You could tell he was struggling and at one point he was ready to transfer….
Vince Young was one of the best athletes in all of college football. His two-season run from 2004-05 was must-watch TV. During that span, he led the Longhorns to a combined record of 24-1. That included two Rose Bowl victories, the second being the BCS National Championship against USC, which remains one of the most talked about games to this day. Young’s No. 10 jersey is retired by the Longhorns.
Vince Young - starts 32 games wins 30 loses 2 - .938 winning percentage.
Vince Young at Texas almost never happened because the Longhorns didn't initially recruit Young as a quarterback; they liked him as an athlete and instead offered Billy Don Malone of Paris North Lamar the quarterback scholarship. But assistant coach Tim Brewster stayed after Young, and as Young developed as a quarterback as a senior, the remainder of the Texas coaching staff became big believers. Malone eventually de-committed, which gave Young the only QB spot in the class. During an early January visit and a basketball game during which Texas fans chanted his name, Young committed to Texas Sunday, January 13. That decision altered the college football landscape. He also considered Miami, Kansas State, and LSU. But only Texas and K-State wanted him as a QB.
Young will prove to be the most dynamic quarterback since Michael Vick. Mack says with Young, “plays are never dead, games are never over.”
A great read on Vince Young in the link below
MATT NORDGREN - 2003-2005
When I came to Texas in 2001, Chris Simms was the starting quarterback. I figured I’d sit the bench for two years, and then start for three. That was before I met Vince Young.
Vince quickly established himself as one of the best college quarterbacks of all time, and I learned something about myself. I make a great backup quarterback, leading from within.
On a football team, players look to the quarterbacks to lead. Vince didn’t have time to touch base with every single guy on every single issue–he was focused on the mission at hand as the starter each and every day. I could help with bandwidth. I embraced that role and made it my personal mission to keep morale high in the face of adversity.
I also offered a second perspective. Individuals connect to different leadership styles, so great teams require leadership that speaks in a variety of ways. Vince’s talent inspired everyone, but sometimes I could connect with the guys in a different way.
There were certainly challenges to being a backup. When the game was on the line and the pressure mounted, I didn’t have the power to make an impact the way someone on the field could. That was Vince’s moment. His job was to perform under pressure, and he almost always did. Well, actually, thinking back, he always did.
But after a bad game, when maybe Vince didn’t play his best, I was uniquely situated to talk to the team about what happened and how to move forward. I hadn’t been on the field, and I hadn’t directly contributed to the loss, so at that moment, my voice carried some weight as another leader who understood why things went wrong or how they could potentially be done better going forward.
I give a lot of credit to Coach Mack Brown for cultivating this leadership potential in me and every athlete he coached. He knew how to get the most out of everybody, and he knew everybody was valuable. Even as a guy who didn’t start, I can’t tell you how many times I was in his office going over things that would help our team be better. Things that never made it into the stat books. Personal things or off-the-field things. That’s what really made us great. That’s why we won a championship in 2006.
After college, I took my backup quarterback expertise into the NFL for a brief stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, but I soon transitioned into business. I immediately saw the parallels between my athletic experience and skill set and what was required for success in the professional world…………
Ultimately, if you focus on being truthful, honest, and hardworking and try to find great people to be around, and you care about them and can be a leader on a great team, you can be extremely successful. It’s worked for me, and never have I done it as the starting quarterback.
COLT MCCOY (2006-09) Started 53 games won 45 lost 8 . .849 winning percentage.
Following the footsteps of Vince Young is no small task for any quarterback but Colt McCoy was up for the challenge. Not only did McCoy step up to the challenge, he also became one of the most beloved players in program history. After redshirting in 2005, he won the job over highly-touted prospect Jevan Snead, ultimately leading the team to another BCS Championship game in 2009. The biggest ‘what if’ for the team will always be about McCoy getting hurt in that game. Like Young, McCoy’s No. 12 jersey was retired by the Longhorns. To this day, Colt McCoy owns almost every major passing record at Texas.
He’s college football’s all-time winningest quarterback and Texas’ only two-time All-America quarterback. He went 45-8 as a starter and held 47 school records, including almost every major school record a quarterback could hold. He threw for an amazing 13,253 career yards as he became the only quarterback in college football history to win 10-plus games in four consecutive seasons. It’s possible that the only thing keeping him out of the No. 1 spot was a national championship. An injury against Alabama prevented him from getting the opportunity to complete that feat.
Times are changing, and quarterbacks who don’t start leave ut.
The days of staying and competing with a full room of quarterbacks seem to be over.
Cicero transferred to Baylor in 1999.
Jevan Snead went to Ole Miss,
GJ Kinne transferred to Tulsa,
Connor Wood left UT for Colorado,
Garrett Gilbert moved to the Dallas-area for SMU,
Connor Brewer left for Arizona,
and Kai Locksley made the trek to UTEP.
Jevan Snead 2005 and 2006 back-up to Vince Young and Colt McCoy
Jevan Snead
Jevan Snead came into the season battling Colt McCoy to replace Vince Young following the 2005 national championship season. Snead was the higher-rated player, but McCoy rose above him to become the starter. Snead would appear in eight games in 2006, throwing 49 total passes. Following the season, he would enroll at Ole Miss and played the next two years before heading to the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jevan Bryce Snead was an American football quarterback. He played college football at Mississippi after Colt McCoy won the starting quarterback position over him for the Texas Longhorns football team. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent but was cut from the team and was later a pre-season member of the Tampa Bay Storm.
Jevan has passed away. Please click on this link to read his story.
https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/trilogy-part-iii-2019-jevan-snead
John Chiles - back-up quarterback to Colt McCoy 2006-2008
#7 John Chiles
John Chiles moved from QB to WR for the Longhorns 2009 Spring Game. He played for 4 years at the University of Texas.
On the eve of the first day of spring practice, it was announced that University of Texas backup quarterback John Chiles will move to the wide receiver position, competing against six others for the spot vacated by Quan Crosby.
Colt McCoy returned as the starting quarterback in 2009. Chiles will also be in the mix for kick returner.
“Colt’s return and Quan’s departure makes this a great move for our team,” head coach Mack Brown said in a news release. “When we’ve done our draft boards during the spring, our staff has always voted John as one of our best athletes on the team. This gives us a chance to get him more playing time.”
G.J. Kinne 2007-2008 back-up to McCoy
Kinne attended the University of Texas at Austin as a redshirt freshman in 2007 but was buried in the depth chart and decided to transfer. On May 7, 2008, he announced that he would transfer to the University of Tulsa. Kinne became the starting quarterback for the Golden Hurricane in 2009 and remained the starter throughout his career. He finished his career with 9,472 yards and 81 touchdowns and was named the most valuable player in the 2012 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
Sherrod Harris 2007-2009
Harris was in the quarterback room for the Longhorns behind McCoy and Snead during his freshman season. He redshirted that year and appeared in five total games from 2007-09.
2010-2011 Garrett Gilbert started 14 games, winning 7 losing 7 for a .500 winning percentage.
Starting in 2011, when the new Longhorn Network had a promo with four quarterbacks -- Garrett Gilbert, David Ash, Case McCoy, and Connor Wood. Three of the four wound up starting games that season, and two transferred. It’s hard to find stability at the quarterback position these days, especially at Texas. As Todd Dodge describes, “I know what it’s like to be booed by 80,000 people and given a standing ovation from the same 80,000 the same day.”It’s not an easy job for anyone.
Gilbert was a highly-touted quarterback recruit at the time, only Vince Young had a higher rating. He was thrust into action in the 2009 BCS Championship after the injury to Colt McCoy. After three seasons at Texas and 24 games, he transferred to SMU. Gilbert would go on to the NFL. Gilbert was one of the highest-rated recruits that never lived up to the expectation level at Texas.
2010 Connor Woods -
Connor Wood’s career at Texas was very short. He enrolled early and redshirted his freshman season in 2010. Wood was among the quarterbacks battling for the starting job. In 2011, he transferred to Colorado where he would play in 14 games over the 2012-13 seasons. Wood never threw a pass for the Texas Longhorns.
Connor Wood
2011- David Ash, Garrett Gilbert, and Case McCoy
Case McCoy 2011-2013 started 16 games, winning 9 losing 7 for a .563 winning percentage.
Whatever you think of Case McCoy, he left Texas as a winner over Oklahoma and Texas A & M. Against OU, Case stood tall in the pocket and delivered a dart to a streaking Mike Davis to put a bow on an improbable Texas victory.
After seeing sparse play in his freshman season, Case McCoy competed with Garrett Gilbert and David Ash for the starting role at quarterback during the 2011 season. After Gilbert struggled against BYU, McCoy and Ash replaced him, and McCoy led the team to victory on a game-winning drive. For the next three weeks, McCoy split starting duties with Ash, but after struggling against Oklahoma, he lost the starting job to Ash. He was brought in late to the Missouri and the Kansas State games when coach Coach Brown was looking for a spark, and almost led a comeback against Kansas State. As a result, he was named the starter for the 2012 Texas A&M game.
David Ash- 2011, 2012, 2013
Ash was one of the four quarterbacks that battled it out as the starter in 2011 with Connor Wood, Garrett Gilbert, and Case McCoy. He tied the mark of fastest Texas quarterback to 1,000 yards with Colt McCoy, James Brown, and Major Applewhite. He played in 26 games over the first two seasons and just four in the final two. His 2013 season was cut short by an injury. Ash’s most notable accomplishment was the 2011 Holiday Bowl offensive MVP award for his performance against California. Case McCoy was the primary quarterback in 2013 and Tyrone Swoopes took the job in 2014 under new head coach Charlie Strong.
This would be the last scheduled meeting between the two in-state rivals before Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC and A&M's last Big 12 game ever. Texas A&M was favored by 8 points and led by 9 at halftime, but after Texas took the lead in the 3rd quarter and lost it in the 4th, McCoy did just enough – including a 25-yard run – to set up a game-winning field goal. Nonetheless, a poor performance the following week in a loss to Baylor and strong practices by Ash led to Ash starting the 2011 Holiday Bowl game and McCoy not playing in it at all. In 2011 McCoy managed to set the school record for most consecutive passes to start a career without an interception with 124.[2]
2012 SEASON- Case McCoy, Connor Brewer(red shirted) Jalen Overstreet, and David Ash
Connor Brewer
Brewer was a highly-touted quarterback in the 2012 class. He won three state championships and was an Elite 11 quarterback, but it never worked out for him in Austin. Brewer would redshirt in 2012, and after the season, he left for Arizona. He appeared in one game for the Wildcats before leaving yet again for Virginia. Brewer, the No. 4 pro-style quarterback of his class, never lived up to the expectation as he appeared in four games for two different teams, neither of which came as a member of the Longhorns.
With Ash having emerged as the starter, McCoy started only one game all season, a losing effort against Kansas State. But earlier in the year, he came in during the 4th quarter of the Kansas game to replace an ineffective Ash and led a game-winning 68-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Grant with 12 seconds left. He also came off the bench against TCU.
2012 Jalen Overstreet
Overstreet was one of the quarterbacks who never played the position for Texas. After redshirting his freshman season, he switched to running back ahead of the 2013 year. He played in nine games that year with 20 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns (both against Texas A&M). He would head to Sam Houston State where Overstreet would average 6.9 yards per carry with seven touchdowns.
2013 SEASON Case McCoy and David Ash
McCoy again entered the season as the backup to David Ash, but because of a pair of concussions that Ash suffered in two of the first four games, McCoy wound up starting all but three games. After Ash's second injury, McCoy helped lead Texas to 6 straight wins, including an improbable upset of #12 O.U. In that game, McCoy completed 13 of 21 passes for 190 yards with an interception and two touchdowns. Despite early non-conference losses and a one-sided loss to Oklahoma State, McCoy led Texas to a #24 ranking and a season-ending game that was a de facto conference championship game against Baylor. Texas lost to Baylor after McCoy struggled to complete 12 of 34 passes for 54 yards, threw two interceptions, and only one touchdown.
McCoy's final game was the 2013 Alamo Bowl game against Oregon. He threw two interceptions for touchdowns, scored on a 1-yard rush in the first quarter for Texas' only touchdown, finished 8 of 17 for 48 yards and was pulled at times in the second half for freshman Tyrone Swoopes. Oregon won 30–7.
Case finished his career ranked 10th in school history in career passing yards (3,689) and 10th in touchdown passes (24) and led five career fourth quarter comebacks.