Jerrod Heard Closing the Gap, but Can He Win Texas' Starting QB Job?

Mark the date—Thursday, April 16, 2015—because it is officially on between Jerrod Heard and Tyrone Swoopes in the battle to become Texas' starting quarterback. 

Yes, Swoopes and Heard have been in an open competition all spring. The Longhorns' offensive woes—highlighted (lowlighted?) by 59 yards in a Texas Bowl loss to Arkansas—were simply too much for Swoopes to have any job security this year. The junior has shown flashes of potential but for a variety of reasons never displayed the consistency needed. 

However, accounts from Austin indicated that Swoopes was taking the next step forward in his development while Heard was struggling to keep up. 

That appears to have changed in a big, big way, according to Jeff Howe of 247Sports:  

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Just a few weeks ago it seemed like Charlie Strong was on the verge of declaring junior Tyrone Swoopes as the early winner of Texas' offseason quarterback battle.

After practice Wednesday, Strong indicated the battle is still very much ongoing. The Longhorns' head coach announced Swoopes and redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard will take snaps with the first offense in Saturday's Orange-White Scrimmage due in large part to the growth Heard has experienced of late on the practice field.

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Now, it should be noted that Swoopes will take the field first on Saturday in the spring game, according to the American Austin-Statesman's Kirk Bohls. The fact that Heard is getting first-team reps, though, should tell you how much ground he's gained. 

Does this mean Heard starts in Week 1? Week 6? Not by itself, but it does indicate the redshirt freshman is on his way to living up to his potential. 

Heard has always been a gifted athlete who could make plays with his feet. Texas quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson noted in his Thursday press conference that Heard is the kind of guy who can "take it to the house" in the run game. 

But that only gets a player so far. 

Last November, Watson was candid when discussing Heard's development. He provided some great quotes, courtesy of Wescott Eberts at Burnt Orange Nation, that shed light on what it takes to successfully transition from high school to college: 

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In the end, to be honest with you he wasn't putting the work out there yet, because he was still learning. It would make us look like what we say is not what we mean or what we deliver. He's gotten better as a result of it. He's been growing, he's progressed, especially in the latter half of this season has been good; he's coming along a lot better. He didn't have the spring as for example Tyrone Swoopes did, and that's really where you see him right now.

...

He's just coming out of high school; he's been getting his feet on the ground with the system. He's got a better understanding today of what college football is, what is going to require to be an elite player. That's going to be a lot of study and hard work, which he's going to put in.

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At the time, Watson indicated Heard was starting to turn a corner but wasn't there yet. You can be a 4-star prospect like Heard was, but it doesn't mean you're immune to relearning a lot of things (or, learning them for the first time) that make you successful at the next level. 

Heard had to develop as a passer. That's not just in accuracy either; it's being able to identify coverages quickly and make good decisions. That can take time, reps and confidence.

Now, take those quotes from Watson last year and compare them to what he said about Heard on Thursday. 

That's a huge deal, and they were reinforced by head coach Charlie Strong. 

“He's hitting the open receivers, he's finding open receivers and making the correct checks,” Strong said, per Howe. “He's throwing the deep ball when we open it up and throw it deep some.”

These are all great signs because they show Heard is starting to get it. Now, the biggest questions are whether Swoopes has been doing the same thing and how it compares to Heard. 

Strong and Watson developed a great quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater at Louisville, so they know what a top-tier signal-caller looks like. The fact that they're raving about Heard indicates they know what they have talent-wise in him and are seeing what happens when that talent meets work. 

Heard has already made the quarterback battle more compelling with his progress. If he continues on this trajectory, he's going to make a legit case to be the No. 1 guy. But all the work that he's put in? He'll have to keep it up during the summer months, when self-motivators are at their best. 

Can he eventually surpass Swoopes? If Thursday's quotes were any indication, absolutely.  

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.