Shane Buechele was relegated to a full-time backup behind Sam Ehlinger on the quarterback depth chart at Texas in 2018, and now he's out of Austin completely. The rising senior signal-caller announced his transfer to SMU on Twitter on Thursday. 

Buechele showed promise early in his Texas career when he earned the starting job as a true freshman in 2016 -- Charlie Strong's final year as the coach of the Longhorns. He threw for 2,958 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and added two touchdowns on the ground. 

Injuries riddled his sophomore year, which opened the door for Ehlinger. Buechele started seven games and played in nine, but battled ankle and shoulder injuries throughout the season. Despite being in and out of the lineup, he threw for 1,405 yards and seven touchdowns, and started the final game of the season -- a Texas Bowl victory over Missouri. 

The two quarterbacks fought all offseason, but Buechele couldn't beat then-sophomore Ehlinger out. He did start the Baylor game in place of an injured Ehlinger, and went 20-of-34 passing for 184 yards and a touchdown in a 23-17 win. The only other action he saw in 2018 was against Iowa State, when he went 10-of-10 for 89 yards when Ehlinger departed after re-injuring his shoulder.

As a graduate transfer, Buechele is eligible to play immediately and count his 2018 campaign as a redshirt year, which would make him a redshirt junior in 2019. If he wins the starting job at SMU, he will replace former starter Ben Hicks -- who left as a graduate transfer to Arkansas.