And now we know the rest of the story -- although we kind of figured this was how it played out all along.
In an interview with NFL.com, former SMU quarterback and current draft hopeful Garrett Gilbert opened up about his transfer from Texas in 2011. Specifically, Gilbert acknowledged that the incessant booing he received at home as he attempted to replace UT legend Colt McCoy played a significant role in his decision to leave the Longhorns.
“Hearing boos again, not really being able to shake that, at that point I kind of knew it might be time to start over and wipe the slate clean,” Gilbert said, according to NFL.com. “It’s tough to sum up quickly. For whatever reason, things didn’t work out. I think that led to some forcing the ball, trying to force things to happen. Maybe I read the papers a little too much, as well.”
Gilbert was UT’s starter in 2010, and then the first two games of the 2011 season. Following a miserable performance in Week 2 against BYU — a week after suffering a shoulder injury — Gilbert was dropped to No. 3 on the depth chart behind sophomore Case McCoy and freshman David Ash in the week leading up to the UCLA this past weekend. The shoulder injury officially ended his season in mid-September; one month later, he was given a release from his UT scholarship.
In early November of 2011, Gilbert, a five-star member of UT’s 2009 recruiting class who nearly helped the Colt McCoy-less Longhorns upend Alabama in the BCS title game that season, transferred to SMU, finishing out his career with the Mustangs.
