Texas backup QB Matt Caldwell chases an improbable NFL dream | Golden
After making eye-opening plays as Arch Manning's backup, Texas quarterback Matt Caldwell is pursuing his NFL dream. He had a chanced to impress scouts Tuesday.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Quarterback Matthew Caldwell is young, but prepares for his craft like a 64-year-old man who's been working a city job for 35 years. The 2025 backup for Texas football didn’t get major reps in his final season on campus, but he lived by an old credo that served him well: If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.
“No matter if you're the starter or you’re third string, if you attack every day as if you are the starter — I know you'll hear this from everybody — if you make it about the team and and you make it about everybody else, when your number is called, you'll be ready no matter what,” Caldwell said. Quarterback Matthew Caldwell runs drills during Texas Longhorns pro day on campus at the University of Texas, March 24, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman) MORE CED: Will North Carolina try to poach Texas basketball’s Sean Miller?
Troy quarterback Matthew Caldwell could be Texas quarterback Arch Manning's backup for the Longhorns this season after transferring in this spring. (Jeffrey Becker/Imagn Images) The Longhorns didn’t have a wideout participating at Tuesday's pro timing day , but Caldwell prepped for this opportunity in the days leading up to it by throwing to current Texas pass catchers like new signee Cam Coleman . When pro day arrived, Caldwell, the Auburn, Ala.
product, had to enlist some help as he threw for NFL scouts. Safety Michael Taaffe ran eight routes and Caldwell connected on seven of them and was nearly perfect had Taaffe come down on a diving attempt at a deep shot. Sign up for Ced's Corner Sign up for Cedric Golden’s newsletter for hot takes and expert analysis each Tuesday on Texas Longhorns football and beyond.
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