On Wednesday, Quinn Ewers officially signed with the Texas Longhorns, bringing an end to one of the more intriguing recruiting stories in college football history.
Ewers is rated as the second-highest quarterback recruit by 247Sports since 2000, only behind Vince Young, who also played for the Longhorns. His recruiting story began early, receiving scholarship offers before even reaching high school at Southlake Carroll.
Once at Carroll High School, Ewers exceeded expectations and showed he deserved the early scholarship offers plus more. Following a spectacular sophomore season, Ewers was ranked the No. 1 overall recruit in the nation for the 2022 class by 247Sports.
Before his junior season in August 2020, Ewers appeared to end his recruiting journey without much drama, committing to his favorite childhood team, the Texas Longhorns.
“I always had been a Longhorns fan since I was a little kid,” Ewers told 247Sports after committing to the Longhorns for the first time, “I have pictures of me in their jerseys from when I was in daycare.”
However, just six weeks later, Ewers announced he was de-committing from Texas and shortly after announced that he would instead attend Ohio State University.
Following his junior season, Ewers became a trailblazer for the sport. Unable to capitalize on the new “Name, Image, and Likeness” (NIL) rules in the NCAA as a high school student, Ewers decided to forgo his senior season at Southlake Carroll and join Ohio State as part of the 2021 class. Ewers reportedly cashed in on a more than $1 million NIL deal while at Ohio State.
In his one year on campus at Ohio State, Ewers found himself between the No. 3 and No. 4 spot on the quarterback depth chart. The Buckeyes quarterback room was already loaded with highly-rated quarterback prospects. Ewers only managed to take the field for a few plays in a blowout win over Michigan State.
Shortly after the regular season, Ewers announced he would leave Ohio State and entered the transfer portal on December 3, reopening his recruitment once again. His list of choices quickly narrowed down to the Longhorns and the Texas Tech Red Raiders, with new coach Joey McGuire.
Ewers also reportedly visited the campus of TCU with new coach Sonny Dykes, but it was a visit last weekend to Austin that appeared to seal his decision.
Ewers tweeted on Sunday that he would sign with the University of Texas once the early signing period for high school athletes began on December 15. Ewers made it official when he became the first Longhorn to sign his National Letter of Intent this recruiting season at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
In Austin, Ewers figures to have an excellent opportunity to win the starting quarterback position. Texas failed to earn a spot in a bowl game this season after finishing 5-7, complete with a six-game losing streak. Casey Thompson and Hudson Card both shared time as the starting quarterback, but neither managed to take a full hold on the job.
Texas fans and coach Steve Sarkisian will hope that Ewers lives up to his high ratings. An impact quarterback should excel in the Texas offense with returning star running back Bijan Robinson and the Big 12 Conference’s newcomer of the year, receiver Xavier Worthy.
Sarkisian needed this recruiting win to ease Texas fans’ worries following a losing season. Now, fans will expect success next season due to the combination of highly touted players and coaches. In his coaching career, Sarkisian has made his name as an offensive-minded coach and developed successful quarterbacks in his coaching stops at Washington, USC, and Alabama.
Texas will open the 2022 season against Louisiana-Monroe, followed by a week-two matchup against Alabama, ranked No. 1 in this season’s final College Football Playoff rankings.
The Alabama matchup will be an excellent barometer for the Texas football program and coach Sarkisian. It will be one of the most anticipated games of the season, especially if Ewers will be the starting quarterback.
