Texas Football: Update on the State of Longhorns' QB Position

The ride on the "struggle bus" will continue for Texas Longhorns quarterback David Ash.

Head coach Charlie Strong announced Monday that Ash is out indefinitely while the medical staff continues to evaluate him for concussion symptoms. 

Unfortunately for the redshirt junior, this is all-too-familiar territory.

Ash sustained a concussion versus BYU in 2013, missed the following game, then returned in time to start conference play. But his return did not last long, as he suffered a second concussion in his first game back on the field.

He missed the remainder of the year.

Ash was cleared to play the 2014 season, but his playing time may be short-lived.

During fall camp, Ash joked that it felt good to be off the "struggle bus" and expressed how blessed he felt to be given another opportunity to play the game he loves.

That was until North Texas came to Austin.

The quarterback took a handful of hard hits—all of which he got up from. However, he started to experience concussion-like symptoms following the season opener and will not return to the field in the near future.

The Longhorns' quarterback woes have been an issue since 2010. Meanwhile, other in-state programs seem to have mastered the art of signing and developing solid quarterbacks, but that's a topic for a later date.

With Ash's future up in the air, the time has come for the Longhorns to put their trust in a new starting quarterback: sophomore Tyrone Swoopes.

Swoopes received his first career start against BYU in Week 2 of the season. He did as well as the game plan allowed him to, completing 20 of 31 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown in the 41-7 loss to the Cougars.

"(Swoopes) played unbelievable," Strong said following the loss to BYU. "I know he threw an interception there late, but for him to be a first-time starter and come out and compete the way he did was unbelievable."

A lot of people have compared Swoopes' talents to those of Vince Young, claiming the two have similar measurables and powerful arms to sling the ball down the field.

With that said, comparing Swoopes to Young is extremely premature.

The reason is simple: Swoopes has not shown the public anything other than running a vanilla game plan.

"I wasn't really sure of what to expect with it being my first start," Swoopes said. "This Saturday, I will be more confident and ready to go. It's my responsibility to stay ready for when the team needs me."

The 6'4", 243-pound sophomore was decent in his first start, but was restricted from making many big plays.

The offensive game plan was not successful against BYU and will need to change in order for Texas to move the chains and score more than one touchdown against upcoming opponents.

Swoopes is a very talented athlete, but until the public sees more from him than simply handing off the ball or completing short passes, the questions about his talent will continue.

Swoopes is from Whitewright, Texas—a small town of 1,607 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. He has never been on this high of a pedestal, nor has he been in a situation to receive the hefty amount of criticism that comes with being the starting quarterback for the Longhorns.

He also has very little time to adjust to the attention that will soon follow his career.

The Longhorns face No. 12 UCLA, No. 8 Baylor and No. 4 Oklahoma in three of the team's next four games. If Swoopes remains the quarterback for those contests, he has to grow up at a speedy pace and silence the critics.

Bleacher Report NFL analyst and former Texas quarterback Chris Simms understands the pressures that come with being the leader of the Longhorns.

His advice to Swoopes is simple: Take it slow.

"Don't listen to all of the outside noise, and realize that you don't have to do it yourself. You have a good coach, you have other people on the team who are capable of moving the ball, so don't try to overdo it or try to make tough plays. Those are some mistakes that I made early in my career," Simms said.

"You have to be a leader and work hard. When you work hard, and put in the time and effort, teammates will respect it and jump on the train with you."

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Taylor Gaspar is Bleacher Report's featured columnist covering the Texas Longhorns. Follow Taylor on Twitter @Taylor_Gaspar.