Steve Sarkisian makes a football decision in naming Quinn Ewers QB1

The core principles of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian‘s offensive philosophy are well-established at this point in his career. He likes to hand the ball off to a bell-cow back as part of a physical running game, and he likes to use that running game to set up play-action passes where a strong-armed quarterback can hit fast wide receivers downfield for explosive gains.

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He has adjusted at times in his career, even in recent memory, but those principles are Sarkisian’s bread and butter. There are additional intricacies like run-pass options, pre-snap motion, option routes, and tight end play that make Sarkisian’s offense an appealing for players and programs.

His basic offensive principles remain ‘run them over’ and ‘throw it over their heads.’

Running back Bijan Robinson shoulders most of the ‘run them over’ responsibility. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy is the main beneficiary of the ‘throw it over their heads’ aspect, but someone must start that process for him.

That’s where you’ll find the reasoning for Sarkisian’s announcement of Quinn Ewers as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback. Sarkisian’s choice of Ewers was made Thursday because Ewers allows for his offense to reach its highest ceiling.

Is Ewers perfect? Despite his high rating as a recruit, no. Is what he brings to the table as a college quarterback fully known? Not quite yet, considering his only in-game experience is a handful of garbage time snaps for Ohio State.

What he does bring is arm talent that others on the roster simply do not possess. That is what has him taking the first-string snaps in Saturday’s scrimmage, for the rest of training camp, and against Louisiana-Monroe on September 3rd.

There is still room to grow for Ewers, who should be in his first college season rather than his second. Areas where it was thought Hudson Card, the quarterback Ewers topped for the QB1 spot, had an advantage on the younger, mulletted signal-caller were offensive acumen, short and medium distance accuracy, and other aspects where it’s unsurprising a third-year player in his second season in a given offense had a leg up.

In this competition, arms are what mattered, and Ewers’ arm ability in concert with his own growing acumen are what contributed to Sarkisian’s decision.

On Thursday, less than 24 hours before he named Ewers the starter, Sarkisian was asked about what the former Five-Star Plus+ prospect had to do to improve his all-around game while still making use of his many talents.

“I think one of our challenges is we had spring ball to assess his strengths, and maybe some things we know he needed to work on,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “­We tried to work on those things in the summer, then you try to address those things, you re-evaluate in that first week of camp, then you try to address it again.”

“Then what you try to do is when they play is put them in position to do the things they do well. When he’s playing, we’re trying to call the things I know he does well while we’re still working on some of those other areas that we know he can improve upon as we go.”

With a redshirt freshman, it won’t be perfect. Sarkisian knows that, and plans to accommodate his offense for Ewers.

“If there are some intricacies that maybe aren’t as fluid for him right now, that’s our job not to put him in that position to do those things yet until we keep repping it with him to get him feeling really good about it,” Sarkisian said.

There will be growing pains, just as there were for Sam Ehlinger, Shane Buechele, Colt McCoy, Vince Young, Chris Simms, and any other quarterback who started early in their careers in burnt orange. All had “freshmen moments” like making the wrong throw, trying to do too much, and turning the ball over to the other team.

There could also be actual pain for Ewers, as Texas is likely breaking in several freshmen offensive linemen whose job it is to protect him. Freshmen O-linemen, like freshmen quarterbacks, aren’t always the most consistent.

Oh yeah, an elephant-sized reality check for Ewers, the O-line, and Longhorn football in the form of Nick Saban’s No. 1 Alabama heads to Austin on September 10.

Sarkisian considers those potential pains with Ewers at the helm worth it series-after-series, snap-after-snap. Why? Ewers’ arm could make those series shorter, and the snaps needed to score six points fewer in number.

Those football considerations are what drove Sarkisian because his job is to win football games, and it’s his belief that Ewers gives him the best chance this year to do his job.