A year ago, when the Texas Longhorns were set to enter preseason camp, wide receiver Jerrod Heard was the emergency quarterback and only two injuries away from perhaps having to step in as the starter.
When Shane Buechele suffered a shoulder injury during the opener and an ankle injury later in the season, it pushed true freshman Sam Ehlinger into the starting lineup. But Ehlinger missed time, too, sitting out nearly three games as a result of a concussion suffered against Oklahoma.
For most games during the 2018 season, the coaching staff didn’t get to make choices about the starting quarterback — there was only one healthy player on scholarship.