WELCOME BACK: Quinn Ewers to transfer to Texas

When Quinn Ewers decommitted from Texas in the fall of 2020, it sent shockwaves throughout the Longhorn and college football landscape. So too did his ensuing commitment to Ohio State, and his reclassification from 2022 to 2021.

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Over a year later, during a monthlong span where major story after major story reverberated through college football, it was Ewers’ turn once again to send shockwaves throughout the sport. And this time, the Longhorns were the beneficiary. Ewers, the No. 1 player in On3’s 2021 consensus rankings, announced Sunday he will continue his collegiate career at Texas with the Longhorns.

News broke that Ewers would enter the transfer portal the evening of December 3rd, with Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech considered his landing spots. Steve Sarkisian and the Texas coaches won the second recruitment in short order, landing the generational talent in time for spring ball in 2022.

Despite reclassifying, Ewers still carries significant cachet with some of the top prospects in the state of Texas in the class of 2022. Texas’ lack of a top in-state quarterback hampered some of its recruiting efforts. That concern has evaporated.

Ewers originally committed to Texas on August 15, 2020 but that commitment barely lasted two months. He decommitted from the program on October 28th, and committed to Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 19, 2020.

During the summer of 2021, Ewers reclassified and enrolled at Ohio State to get a jump-start on his development and begin taking advantage of Name, Image, and Likeness laws.

According to Letterman Row, Ewers dealt with a COVID situation that prevented him from being able to practice or compete with Buckeye signal-callers CJ Stroud, Kyle McCord, and Jack Miller during fall camp.

It was a situation that put Day in a difficult spot, considering Ewers arrived a year ahead of schedule. Though Ohio State would have preferred to keep the talented passer, Stroud becoming a Heisman contender made a path to playing time for Ewers difficult to come by. He appeared in one game during his first season in Columbus.

Stroud cemented himself as Ohio State’s quarterback of the future. Ewers decided to find a new place for his future.

For one of the highest-rated prospects ever to come through not just the Texas high school football ranks, but the national high school football ranks, Ewers’ decision to call the Lone Star State capital his next stop marks a homecoming over a year in the making.

In high school during an injury-filled 2020 season with Southlake Carroll, Ewers passed for 2442 yards with a 66 percent completion percentage. He threw 28 touchdowns over five interceptions, and added three more scores on the ground. Ewers’ efforts helped the Dragons reach the 6A Division I state finals, where they fell to Austin Westlake.

His 2019 season elevated him into the national spotlight. Ewers completed 72 percent of his passes totaling 4003 yards. He passed for a whopping 45 touchdowns over three interceptions, plus nine more touchdowns on the ground.

Inside Texas staff on how Quinn Ewers fits at Texas:

Ian Boyd: Ewers is the sort of quarterback you carefully plan your program and strategy around. He’s a Trevor Lawrence-caliber, day-one starter most anywhere he goes. Like Lawrence, he has size at 6-foot-3 and a cannon arm that can make any throw on the field. Part of what makes him so deadly is that unlike the vast majority of strong-armed young passers, he can make anticipation throws rather than waiting to see a route break open. Most kids with big arms will wait to see the route get open and then rely on arm strength to hit the window or throw their guy open deep. Ewers can get the ball out quickly and on time by throwing with anticipation of the route breaks. He’s accurate too, of course, and has some mobility.

Ewers is a pro-style prospect that you have to expect will be a “three and out” college player. To make the most of that time, you want to have a system and roster in place to execute some pro-style schemes. That means good play-action that takes advantage of his ability to throw open a double move and a drop back passing game that can allow him to fling the ball around 40 times or so as needed to win a big game.

Gerry Hamilton: Even in a very strong 2022 class, this one remains a no brainer for No. 1 overall. The one-time Texas verbal literally has everything one looks for at the quarterback position, most importantly calmness under duress. Ewers played at close to 60 percent in the playoffs following hernia surgery.

Eric Nahlin: Lively arm, sees the field, accurate, good enough athleticism to extend the play, or make one himself. On top of it, he’s a student of the game every bit as much as players who get by mostly on that trait alone.

Justin Wells: In 25+ years of following high school football and college recruiting, and 10 years in the profession, I’ve never watched a quarterback throw the ball better. It’s absolutely effortless, smooth, and accurate from the 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame. There isn’t a spot on the football field his arm can’t touch. He’s a special talent with strong knowledge of the position to pair with a laid-back style. But make no mistake, he’s a bull between the lines.

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