JD PicKell: Quinn Ewers is the perfect quarterback for the Texas offense
Last season left a lot to be desired in the first year for the Texas Longhorns under Steve Sarkisian, but expectations remain high entering 2022. With Quinn Ewers now in the fold and competing for the starting quarterback job, expectations are also very high for the Texas offense.
In a recent episode of The Hard Count, On3’s J.D. PicKell broke down Ewers and how he will fit into Sarkisian’s offensive scheme at Texas. In PicKell’s eyes, Ewers’ special ability to throw the ball from a multitude of arm angles will be a welcome trait.
“Quinn Ewers has the phenomenal ability to be able to release the ball at awkward angles,” PicKell said. “Think Patrick Mahomes. I’m not comparing him to Patrick Mahomes, but think that kind of throwing ability where he can throw it sidearm, he can throw it three quarters of the way. Now why is that important? Well like I said, in the RPO game if you have linebackers running up at you, it’s probably not a super clear windshield for Quinn Ewers to throw from. He probably has to get it around that linebacker, he probably has to find a way to throw it around whoever the defender is to get it to his guy in space.”
PicKell: Ewers is the ‘perfect quarterback’ to lead the Texas offense
Ewers was originally an Ohio State commit as part of the 2022 class, but he reclassified and joined the Buckeyes last season instead. He is a former five-star plus+ recruit and the top quarterback (third player overall) in the 2021 recruiting class according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Now, with plenty of weapons around him and an ideal scheme fit at Texas, Ewers is looking to come through and play up to the level that many expect from him.
“So what I’m trying to say here is yes, the scheme is sound. There’s a lot to be excited about within the scheme. But in addition to that, you have a lot of the personnel to run this scheme effectively,” PicKell added. “Because this scheme was run efficiently a year ago. Don’t get it twisted, Casey Thompson ran out really well. Xavier Worthy balled out last year, expect him to ball out again. They got more fast guys at the receiver position that can run after the catch. Bijan Robinson is another year stronger in this system. Roschon Johnson, he’s going to get some carries as well.
“Quinn Ewers is the perfect quarterback in my mind to run this offense with. He ran it some in high school at South Lake Carroll. They’re just going to rev up more than they did a season ago. And how quickly can they all get on the same page? That’s the key factor to success. Because on paper, the personnel is there. On paper, the scheme is there. Can they put it together and score points, that’s what I want to see. I think they will, but that’s what I’m looking forward to seeing in the fall.”
Texas opens the year at home against UL Monroe in Week 1, but another home matchup against Alabama looms in Week 2.