Texas is back? It’s definitely getting a big boost at center in the form of a big transfer.
Former Ohio State defender Quinn Ewers, one of the most highly regarded rookies in 247Sports aggregate leaderboard history, announced Sunday that he will be traveling to Austin to join the Longhorns. Ewers initially committed to Texas before stopping joining the Buckeyes.
Ewers was a recruit in the Class of 2022 before reclassifying to Columbus a year earlier. Redshirt freshman CJ Stroud was named Buckeyes starter for the 2021 season and Heisman Trophy finalist. He still has a year left before he could leave early for the NFL Draft.
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How big is Texas getting a boost with Ewers? Sporting News breaks it down.
Quinn Ewers will start in 2022?
There are rumors of homesickness that could prompt Ewers to move from Ohio State, but certainly another factor is the Buckeyes’ depth chart at quarterback. Stroud is sure to return as starter next season, and although four-star recruit Jack Miller has left the show, five-star freshman Kyle McCord remains in Columbus and could be an option. choose to start in 2023 if Stroud leaves to apply .
With that in mind, would Ewers leave a show he wouldn’t start for another that he would have to wait a year to start? Sure is not.
Texas’ midfield situation in 2021 is no problem. Junior Casey Thompson finished the season with a completion rate of 63.2, 2,113 passes, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also dashed 55 times for 157 yards and four touchdowns.
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Freshman Hudson Card, who started the first two games of the season for Texas, finished the year with 590 passing yards, 61.4 completion rate, five touchdowns and one interception.
Those two may have more experience in Steve Sarkisian’s system, but they don’t come with Ewers’ pedigree. The Sports 247’s composite rating earned him a perfect 1,000 points, tying him up with Jadeveon Clowney, Robert Nkemdiche, Rashan Gary, Vince Young and Ernie Sims for highest recruitment ranking. For comparison, Trevor Lawrence is at 0.9999 and Justin Fields at 0.9998. The Southlake Carroll High School product is said to have next-level throwing and the ability to extend play by scrambling.
So will Ewers start coming to Texas in 2022? Almost certainly.
What to expect from Texas in 2022?
The Longhorns have settled into a yearly pattern: ranked early, won big and then lost a bunch of games to once again disappoint the fans. Ewers might just be the player they needed to break that mold.
And he certainly won’t be alone. A ton of attacking talent is making a comeback. Monday is running again Bijan Robinson will be back after he dashed 1,127 yards on 195 attempts, 11 of which were for touchdowns. He also caught 26 passes for 295 yards and four more touchdowns.
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Ewers will also have a wide range of receiver depths. Freshman Xavier Worthy had a fantastic season for the Longhorns, catching 62 981-yard passes and 12 touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore Jordan Whittington will be back after catching 26 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns. The team’s fourth lead, Marcus Washington, is also tipped to return after he’s caught 18 277-yard passes and two touchdowns.
The attack is expected to return to the starting three: midfielder Jake Majors, bodyguard Junior Angilau and tackle Andrej Karic.
Texas ranks 49th in the nation this season with a total of 424.7 yards of fouls per game and 21st in fouls rate with 35.3 points per game. But Ewers can’t play in every position and he won’t be able to help a struggling defense in 2021, ranked 100th with 425.6 yards allowed per game and 97th with 31.1 points per game . So candidate for the title immediately? Maybe not.
However, Ewers will take this program even further in the right direction and could help establish the attack as one of the best in the nation.
