Steve Sarkisian says Quinn Ewers' winter conditioning was 'really good'

Quinn Ewers finds himself in a big position heading into the 2023 season. Entering his second year at Texas under head coach Steve Sarkisian, expectations have been raised in a big way. People in Austin are expecting to win before heading off to the SEC and Ewers will have to play well to accomplish the goal.

Good news for Texas fans, as Sarkisian believes winter conditioning did good things for Ewers. Not just by getting into shape but also by learning to be comfortable in the offense. A first year under someone like Sarkisian can be complicated, especially when going through a quarterback competition.

“I think Quinn had a really good winter offseason conditioning,” Sarkisian said. “I think he got himself in really good shape. He definitely feels more comfortable. He’s throwing the ball very naturally, very comfortably. From a decision-making standpoint, the reads are just happening that much quicker, that much more decisive. I think the management of our style of offense, right? The shifts, the motions, the varying tempos.”

Sarkisian is not keeping expectations too high, especially at this point of spring practice. Ewers has been improving but to this point is “not perfect.” There is still plenty of time for the quarterback to improve before the fall and continue to get comfortable as the full-time starter.

“All those things of handling that aspect of the game, I think you’re seeing growth,” Sarkisian said. “It just looks like a guy who’s in Year Two and is growing into Year Two from a comfort level. Not perfect and I don’t expect him to be perfect right now.”

There were plenty of times last season when Ewers did not look comfortable. Outside of a small sample size against Alabama and the 49-0 win against Oklahoma, there were plenty of mistakes made. Constant overthrows were an issue, especially with wide receiver Xavier Worthy.

Ewers completed under 60% of his throws but threw for over 2,100 yards in 10 games played. He was able to add 15 touchdowns and just six interceptions. If the accuracy had been there when throwing the deep ball, those numbers are looking a whole lot better.

If Texas is going to get to Arlington and play for a Big 12 championship, Ewers will have to improve. No longer does the running game of Bijan Robinson serve as a safety net. Good news is, Sarkisian says the quarterback is trending in the right direction.