Matthew Caldwell (American football)
| No. 18 – Texas Longhorns | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class | Senior |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 23, 2003 Auburn, Alabama, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 212 lb (96 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Auburn (Auburn, Alabama) |
| College |
|
| Stats at ESPN | |
Matthew Caldwell (born May 23, 2003) is an American college football quarterback for the Texas Longhorns. He previously played for the Troy Trojans, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, and for the Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs.
Early life
Caldwell attended Auburn High School located in Auburn, Alabama. Coming out of high school, committed to play college football for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.[1]
College career
Jacksonville State
During his first collegiate season in 2021, Caldwell played in three games, completing 14 of his 30 pass attempts for 136 yards, while also rushing for 27 yards and a touchdown.[2] After the conclusion of the 2021 season, he decided to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[3]
Gardner–Webb
Caldwell transferred to play for the Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs.[4] During his two seasons at Gardner–Webb from 2022 through 2023, he completed 114 of his 183 passes for 1,083 yards and six touchdowns.[5] After the conclusion of the 2023 season, Caldwell decided to once again enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[6]
Troy
Caldwell transferred to play for the Troy Trojans.[7] In week twelve of the 2024 season, he completed 26 of 32 passes for 288 yards, while totaling four touchdowns, in a victory versus Georgia Southern.[8] Caldwell finished the 2024 season, appearing in ten games, completing 63.2 percent of his passes for 1,608 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also adding five scores on the ground.[9] After the conclusion of the 2024 season, he decided to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal for the third time.[10]
Texas
Caldwell transferred to play for the Texas Longhorns.[11] In Week 9 of the 2025 season, he threw a 10-yard game-winning touchdown to Emmett Mosley in the overtime win over Mississippi State.[12]
Statistics
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2021 | Jacksonville State[a] | 3 | 1 | 1–0 | 14 | 30 | 47.0 | 136 | 4.5 | 0 | 1 | 78.1 | 5 | 27 | 5.4 | 1 |
| 2022 | Gardner-Webb | 6 | 1 | 0–1 | 33 | 55 | 60.0 | 374 | 6.8 | 1 | 3 | 112.2 | 13 | 15 | 1.2 | 2 |
| 2023 | Gardner-Webb | 5 | 5 | 2–3 | 81 | 128 | 63.3 | 709 | 5.2 | 5 | 3 | 118.0 | 24 | 84 | 3.5 | 1 |
| 2024 | Troy | 10 | 6 | 3–3 | 149 | 223 | 63.2 | 1,608 | 7.2 | 13 | 8 | 7.2 | 48 | 47 | 1.0 | 5 |
| 2025 | Texas | 6 | 0 | — | 8 | 11 | 72.7 | 85 | 7.7 | 1 | 0 | 167.6 | 2 | 64 | 32.0 | 0 |
| FCS career | 14 | 7 | 3–4 | 148 | 262 | 56.5 | 1,438 | 5.5 | 8 | 7 | 107.3 | 42 | 126 | 3.0 | 4 | |
| FBS career | 16 | 6 | 3–3 | 149 | 234 | 63.7 | 1,693 | 7.2 | 14 | 8 | 137.4 | 50 | 111 | 2.2 | 5 | |
- ^ In the 2021 season, Jacksonville State participated in the FCS. Caldwell's career FCS totals are counted from 2021–2023.
References
- ^ Davis, Danny (October 26, 2025). "Matthew Caldwell, Texas football's backup QB, delivers in OT after Arch Manning's injury". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ^ Mendoza, Jordan (October 11, 2025). "Who is Arch Manning's backup QB? What to know about Texas' Matthew Caldwell". USA Today. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ^ Boutwell, Josh (April 22, 2025). "Troy QB Matthew Caldwell enters transfer portal". The Troy Messenger. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ^ Leuzzi, John (October 25, 2025). "Auburn HS QB Matthew Caldwell throws game-winning TD for Texas vs Mississippi State". Montgomery Advisor. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ^ Grubbs, Grant. "Troy transfer QB Matthew Caldwell signs with Texas Longhorns". On3.com. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ^ Dimmitt, Zach. "Texas Longhorns Beat Out Other SEC Team for Transfer QB". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ^ Burton, DJ. "How Matthew Caldwell Became the Unlikely Hero Texas Needed Against Mississippi State". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ^ Stephenson, Creg. "Troy's Matthew Caldwell honored by Sun Belt Conference". AL.com. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ^ Burton, DJ. "What Does A Matthew Caldwell-Led Texas Offense Look Like?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ^ "Reports: Troy QB Caldwell enters transfer portal". WSFA.com. April 23, 2025. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ^ Gatlin, Jamie. "Experienced Troy QB Matthew Caldwell signs with Longhorns through transfer portal". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ^ Stephenson, Creg (October 25, 2025). "Alabama-born backup QB throws winning TD pass as Texas rallies past Mississippi State in OT". AL.com. Retrieved October 27, 2025.