Jerrod Heard started 10 of the 12 games under center for the Longhorns last year. His first game was his best, setting the school record for total yards in the loss against Cal. Now, he will be helping the team in a new capacity. Heard will be moving to wide receiver, a position where the coaches look to utilize his speed, which is by far his greatest strength. With the former quarterback moving to receiver, the future of the Longhorns’ quarterback position has a different outlook now.
The transfers of Ryan Newsome and DeAndre McNeal allow Heard to have an early chance at playing time, as the Longhorns were left thin at inside receiver. Devin Duvernay will likely be the starter at that spot, but behind him there are certainly spots up for grabs. With Heard’s grasp of the offense from a quarterback’s perspective, he should know exactly what the receiver is supposed to do. This could give him a big advantage playing the position, and would be a big pick-me-up for a team that lost two players in a span of three weeks at the slot position. Kai Locksley’s athletic ability could allow the Longhorns to use him as a wide receiver as well. The versatility of those two allows them to get on the field and use their best attributes while still taking reps and helping the other quarterbacks out.
The role is a new one for Heard, who won two state championships as quarterback at Denton-Guyer, but he’s embraced the opportunity to contribute to his team.
“The transition is going good. Right now I’m enjoying it, loving every minute of it. It’s just a learning thing every day. I didn’t fight against it. Really I was ready for the transition myself, so I felt like it would be a positive thing for me and for my future. So I was all for it and ready to go.”
Heard making the switch to receiver doesn’t mean he won’t continue to help the team in his former role. He will still probably take some reps in practice with the quarterbacks, and will likely act as the third string guy in the event something happens to Buechele or Swoopes. Texas still has four other guys in the quarterback room – Buechele, Swoopes, Locksley, and Matthew Merrick all there. With the commitment of Sam Ehlinger, there will be no shortage of bodies at the position going forward, making Heard’s move that much easier.
Heard’s incorporation into the Texas offense as a new weapon at receiver is only one new wrinkle offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert looks to implement this season. Will the new offense live up to the hype it has received through spring and fall camp?
“Yeah, definitely. There’s so much stuff that we do with this offense, personnel-wise and scheme-wise. It’s unreal what we do now. I’m ready to go and ready to see how it all plays out and excited,” said Heard.
