Health, improvement needed from Ash

The health of Texas quarterback David Ash has been discussed for quite a while, and will be a huge topic when training camp begins next month.

Ash sustained a concussion against BYU last year, which sidelined him for 10 games. After bouncing back and returning in the spring, Ash sustained a foot fracture. It appears Ash will be ready to participate in training camp when it begins, and he is expected to start this season.

A healthy quarterback is one less thing first-year coach Charlie Strong has to worry about. Ash is a junior (he was allowed a redshirt last year) who will once again be given the reigns to the Texas offense. If Ash is healthy, everyone can talk about the other position battles which will occur prior to the season opener.

However, this is still a huge training camp for Ash, and his ability to stay healthy should not be the only area of concern this season. How Ash performs when well should be a major focus.

Texas enjoyed a long stretch of quarterback stability until recently. The Longhorns were known for having steadiness at that position. Sure, there were transitional quarterbacks during the long stretch of success, but the eventual heir to Texas' passing throne was usually worth the wait.

Here is a list of Texas starting quarterbacks since the 1994 season:

Shea Morenz, 1994

James Brown, 1994-1997

Richard Walton 1998

Major Applewhite, 1998-2001

Chris Simms, 1999-2002

Chance Mock, 2003

Vince Young, 2003-2005

Colt McCoy, 2006-2009

Garrett Gilbert, 2010-2011

Case McCoy, 2011-2013

Ash, 2011-present

Brown finished his career with 30 school records, and led Texas to its first Big 12 title as a senior in 1996. The "Roll Left" play against Nebraska during the title game is one of the most memorable moments in school history.

We will save the Applewhite/Simms debate for another day, but both were good quarterbacks. Vince Young finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting and led his team to a national title. Meanwhile, Colt McCoy provided the Longhorns with four years of stability under center.

Ash committed to Texas during a junior day in 2010, walking away from Houston and TCU offers. He committed one year after Case McCoy gave his pledge to the Longhorns.

In addition, Ash was a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and three-year starter at Belton High School. The quarterback set 13 school records, passed for 7,944 yards and 80 touchdowns, plus rushed for 815 yards and 22 touchdowns, during his high school tenure.

Despite being a true freshman, Ash played in 13 games (six starts) in 2011. He completed 99-of-174 passes for 1,079 yards, four touchdowns and eight interceptions as a freshman. His progression continued after beating out McCoy for the starting job in 2012. Ash finished with 2,699 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions as a sophomore.

Yet, as Ash enters his fourth season, he has a lot to prove, even if Strong anoints him as Texas' starter.

Here are some facts about Ash:

Ash is 14-7 as a starter

Ash has passed for 300-or-more yards only four times in 28 games

Ash has never passed for more than 300 yards during any loss

Ash's best performance during a loss was 269 passing yards and one touchdown against West Virginia in 2012. He had 251 passing yards and two touchdowns during a 40-21 loss against Brigham Young last season.

It could be argued that Ash is the fifth best quarterback in the Big 12, behind Baylor's Bryce Petty, Kansas State's Jake Waters, Oklahoma's Trevor Knight, and Texas Tech's David Webb.

Ash has not led his team to a Big 12 championship.

Ash has not guided Texas to a BCS Bowl.

It does not mean Ash is horrible. By no stretch of the imagination does this imply he should be benched. Nobody is suggesting Ash does not have athletic ability. There is no need to destroy your laptop right now.

Instead, it means Ash has room for improvement, something he needs to display in August.

Since Ash has struggled to stay healthy, Strong may need to develop a backup plan.

Tyrone Swoopes is expected to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Ash if he can hold off true freshman Jerrod Heard. Swoopes recently struggled in Texas' spring game, missing on seven of his first nine pass attempts, but finished with 229 passing yards and three touchdowns. As one source recently told Orangebloods.com, Swoopes still needs work.

"I don't think you can trust him yet to play right now and if David gets hurt and we have to play him a lot, he's going to have to get a lot better really quickly," a source told Orangebloods.com publisher Geoff Ketchum. "There are times when he looks really good and then on the next play you're kind of questioning him. He still needs a lot of coaching."

Of course, that is why coaches are paid large salaries - to coach.

It will be interesting to see if Strong gives Swoopes and/or Heard significant first-team reps during training camp. Strong needs a quarterback who can step in if Ash sustains another injury. Considering UCLA, Baylor and Oklahoma will likely be top-20 teams, Strong cannot afford a huge talent drop-off if Ash is hurt within the Longhorns' first six games this season. Texas may need to speed up Swoopes' and Heard's development during training camp as an insurance policy.

Strong does not need Ash to put up numbers like Petty to be successful. He may not be asked to win games, but Ash cannot afford to lose them.

Ash had 760 passing yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions through three games last season. If Ash stayed healthy, he was on pace to finish with more than 3,000 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions. If Ash can provide Texas' offense with that kind of productivity, coupled with positive output from running backs Malcolm Brown, Johnathan Gray and Joe Bergeron, Texas could complete for the Big 12 title this season.

First, Ash must prove he can stay healthy.

Then Ash needs to show signs of improvement on the field.

This will be a huge training camp for Ash.