Category: Texas longhorn

  • Quinn Ewers entering NFL draft after three seasons at Texas

    Quinn Ewers entering NFL draft after three seasons at Texas

     

    The Texas Longhorns quarterback announced on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday morning that he is declaring for the NFL draft after three years with the Longhorns, forgoing his final year of eligibility.

     

    “My entire life I have dreamed about playing football on the forty acres. These past three years have been some of the best years that I could have imagined. The relationships that I’ve built with coaches and teammates will last forever,” Ewers said in his video.

     

    “I’m truly thankful for the opportunity to play football in the home state and the best university in the world. With prayer and careful consideration, I’m officially declaring for the NFL draft.”

     

    Ewers’ announcement to declare for the NFL comes after the Longhorns quarterback told ESPN in an interview leading up to the College Football Playoff Cotton Bowl semifinal that he does not expect to play college football next year.

     

    The 6-foot-2 quarterback started his collegiate career at Ohio State in 2021 before transferring to Texas. Ironically, Ewers’ career ended by the hand of the Buckeyes and his freshman roommate, Ohio State defensive lineman Jack Sawyer. Facing a fourth-and-goal late in the fourth quarter, Ewers was sacked by Sawyer and had the ball stripped out of his hands for a 83-yard scoop-and-score touchdown return.

     

    Ewers battled multiple injuries throughout this past season, including an oblique strain that he sustained in Week 3 against Texas-San Antonio that caused him to miss two games. He also had a high-ankle sprain towards the end of the regular season that carried into the CFP, an injury that affected his mobility and saw Texas use backup quarterback Arch Manning on running plays.

     

    Perhaps, Ewers best game this season came in Week 2 on the road at Michigan, when he completed 66.7% of his pass for 246 yards and three touchdowns in the Longhorns’ ranked victory. Another highlight moment this past season for Ewers came in the CFP Peach Bowl quarterback vs. No. 4 Arizona State. Facing a fourth-and-13, Ewers connected with wide receiver Matthew Golden for a 28-yard touchdown to keep Texas’ season alive, and ultimately send them to the semifinal.

     

    In his three seasons as Texas’ starting quarterback, Ewers led the Longhorns to a 27-9 overall record, the 2023 Big 12 championship and two appearances in the College Football Playoff semifinals — the former of the two being the program’s first ever CFP appearance.

     

    He will finish his time in Austin with the Longhorns having completed 64.9% of his passes for 9,128 yards and 68 passing touchdowns, adding eight rushing touchdowns.

     

    Ewers is listed as the No. 5 quarterback on ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board of prospects for April’s NFL draft. He is expected to be one of the more touted quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, one that already consists of Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe to name a few.

     

    Quinn Ewers stats at Texas

    Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of Ewers stats with the Longhorns:

     

    2022: 172 of 296 (58.1%) passing for 2,177 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions; one rushing touchdown

    2023: 272 of 394 (69%) passing for 3,479 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions; five rushing touchdowns

    2024: 293 of 445 (65.8%) passing for 3,472 yards with 31 touchdowns and 12 interceptions; two rushing touchdowns

  • It’s Arch Manning time at Texas: Quinn Ewers brought ‘Horns back, but team can’t keep ex-mega recruit on bench

    It’s Arch Manning time at Texas: Quinn Ewers brought ‘Horns back, but team can’t keep ex-mega recruit on bench

    Four years ago, Quinn Ewers was that guy. He was the No. 1 recruit, the first perfectly graded quarterback in the 247Sports Composite since Vince Young. His initial decommitment from Texas in 2020 as a high school recruit portended the end of the Tom Herman era.

    But Ewers later kick-started the Steve Sarkisian era. Since transferring to Texas from Ohio State as a redshirt freshman in 2022, Ewers is 21-5 as a starter in two seasons. By any measure, Ewers brought Texas “back” to national contention. The Longhorns earned trips to the national semifinals in consecutive seasons and were one play away each time from playing for a national championship.

    “I’m super proud of Quinn,” Sarkisian said. “He’s taught me a lot because of what he went through. I don’t know if he could ever live up to the standard of what everybody thinks he’s supposed to be.”

    With a 28-14 loss in the Cotton Bowl to Ohio State (Ewers’ former team), the brilliant but sometimes backbreaking Ewers era at Texas is effectively over. The Arch Manning era is here, and if expectations for Texas quarterbacks were high before, they’re about to leave the stratosphere.

    Ewers has not officially declared for the NFL Draft. He told ESPN that he does not anticipate playing college football next season, though Carson Beck declared for the draft before transferring from Georgia to Miami. But if Ewers is playing college football next season, it won’t be at the University of Texas. It’s Manning time.

    Manning was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2023, making Texas the first program to ever have two No. 1 quarterbacks on campus. The son of Cooper, nephew of Peyton and Eli, and grandson of Archie was pursued heavily by every school in the country. He ultimately decided to join Sarkisian in Austin with the opportunity to lead Texas into the SEC.

    When Ewers opted to return for the 2024 season, Manning stuck around. There were never even rumors of Manning transferring. He was content sitting for two years and waiting his turn, a rare trait for an elite quarterback in 2025. Out of the top 10 quarterbacks in his recruiting class, six have already transferred. Out of the four who haven’t, Clemson’s Christopher Vizzina joins Manning as the only one yet to hold the full time starting job.

    That’s not to say that Manning didn’t impact Texas. When Ewers went out midseason with an oblique strain, Manning stepped into the lineup. He obliterated UTSA with five touchdowns on 15 touches. In the SEC opener against Mississippi State, he threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns. In the waning weeks of the season, Sarkisian installed an Arch package to use in the red zone and short-yardage situations. He even converted a fourth down against Ohio State.

    In his limited action, Manning flashed the immense upside and a few skills that already ranked among the elite in college football. His deep ball accuracy made for some incredible highlights. Manning also excelled as a runner, a skill that could have been useful next to a wildly inconsistent running game.

    Because of these flashes, fans often clamored for Manning to unseat Ewers. Sarkisian held firm. Even when Texas was held scoreless for the first 29 minutes of game time against Ohio State, Ewers stayed in the game. Sarkisian’s decisiveness proved vital, and the team responded to Ewers’ leadership.

    “I feel like he’s been one of the biggest leaders since I’ve been here,” linebacker Anthony Hill told CBS Sports. “I’m just grateful for him.”

    And for all the talk of Manning’s explosive performances, he looked the part of a freshman at times, too. In his first career start against ULM, Manning completed only 51.7% of his passes and threw two interceptions. The Warhawks are a strong defense in the Sun Belt and managed to cause Manning issues.

    During Texas’s lone regular-season loss against Georgia, Ewers was briefly benched. Manning entered the game. He threw for only 19 yards on six pass attempts, was sacked twice and coughed up a fumble as Texas went into halftime trailing 23-0. Ewers came back in the third quarter with a clear head and led a 15-point flurry.

    In the Peach Bowl against Arizona State, Ewers faced fourth-and-13 in overtime. A failed conversion would have ended his career. As only a veteran quarterback could do, Ewers changed the offense’s look and delivered a season-saving strike to receiver Matthew Golden.

    “There were some moving parts where Quinn had to change the protection on the play,” Sarkisian said after the Peach Bowl. “Even after that, there were some intricacies to handle the pressure the way it was coming inside. There were layers to the whole thing.”

    In the final four, each team boasted quarterbacks with major starting experience. Penn State’s Drew Allar was the youngest as a second-year starter. Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard and Ohio State’s Will Howard have started for most of three seasons, like Ewers. Last season, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. were also extremely experienced players. There’s a reason coaches lean on experience. It’s invaluable.

    And around Manning, plenty on the Texas offense could change. The Longhorns could lose four offensive linemen to the 2025 NFL Draft, along with star tight end Gunner Helm. Top receivers Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond could also test their draft stock. That doesn’t even get into a sensational defense set to lose much of its front and back end.

    Of course, Manning is special. Even in flashes, we’ve seen it. The willingness to wait his turn and develop only underscores the maturity and decision making he brings to the table, despite his famous last name — or maybe thanks to it.

    “In addition to possessing all the physical tools desired at the quarterback position, Manning plays the game with exceptional intuition and awareness, showing the ability to command and navigate the game at a very high level,” 247Sports director of scouting Cooper Petagna wrote of Manning in 2022.

    If Manning is the quarterback that is promised, he has the potential to lead Texas to the promised land for only the second time in the last 50 years. That’s the new bar. That’s the new expectation. If expectations for Ewers were tough, Manning had better be ready for his spotlight.

    Ewers was the face of the first Sarkisian era. After the Cotton Bowl, it’s over. Now, it’s time to see whether Manning is up to the challenge.

  • Texas football QB Arch Manning sends heartfelt parting message to senior leaders ahead of 2025 NFL draft

    Texas football QB Arch Manning sends heartfelt parting message to senior leaders ahead of 2025 NFL draft

     

     

     

    Texas football QB Arch Manning sends heartfelt parting message to senior leaders ahead of 2025 NFL draft image

    Arch Manning played his last game under Quinn Ewers’s shadow as a backup on Friday night as Texas football’s season screeched to a halt. Manning knows the underlying responsibility that would come with Ewers’ NFL departure.

     

    Perhaps he has given it a thought. But Manning decided that the night was not about him. It was about his seniors and he let it stay that way.

     

    “It’s probably not the time to start thinking about next year because I have so much respect for these seniors,” the Longhorns QB said in his interview with Austin-American Statesman.

     

    “I’ve learned so much from them. They’re just great people, and I’m going to miss them, for sure,” Manning added to his speech, staying true to his unselfish intent of letting the evening be about the seniors who will be in the Longhorns uniform for the last time.

     

    On top of that, Manning also had special messages for Quinn Ewers and center Jake Majors.

     

    “I’ve learned so much from Quinn over the years,” Manning said. “Jake is always a straight-shooter. What I’ll miss the most about Jake is just how great a guy he is. He’ll tell you not always what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. And he’s a friend for life. And I’m so blessed that he’s part of my life,” he added.

     

    Manning avoided talking about his starting QB role in the 2025 season like he was expected to — especially since Ewers’ indirect 2025 NFL draft announcement came just hours before the game.

     

    Ewers was pretty direct with his “Nah, I don’t,” answer to the question of playing another year in college football. It cut right through all the noise.

     

    The Longhorns had a bumpy ride the whole season and it directly affected Ewers’ and Majors’ draft stocks.

     

    Ewers is expected to be the fifth QB off the board and Majors the fifth center off the board, according to ESPN’s Mel Keiper’s 2025 NFL mock draft.

     

    And as for Texas, it won’t be too long before Manning takes to their field as a starter amid the growing hype.