Steve Sarkisian addresses Quinn Ewers decision to cut mullet, perception surrounding it

In the modern world of college sports, name, image, and likeness, NIL, can play a huge role in what some players do image-wise. At the professional level, individuals like Anthony Davis and James Harden in the NBA have made brands of themselves based on their hair: Davis, “The Brow,” and Harden, “The Beard.” For the Texas Longhorns, starting quarterback Quinn Ewers was getting similar attention for his sweet, sweet mullet haircut. But this offseason, he decided to do away with the trendy doo, cutting the mullet and going for a more clean-cut look.

Recently, his head coach, Steve Sarkisian, addressed Ewers’ decision to change his hairstyle, adding a little insight and perspective as to why his quarterback made the change.

“I didn’t mind the mullet. But I also know what perception is,” said Sarkisian. “And like we talked about with him, right now, the perception of you is proceeding you before you meet anybody. So, sometimes, you need to change the perception so that people really get to know you.

“I think that Quinn has worked at that over the last 7-8 months. I think he’s starting to see the value in who he is. Quinn’s a great guy, super coachable, a really good teammate, very humble, hard-working, (and) he cares for the people around him. I don’t know if everybody knew that about him a year ago. But now, I think people are starting to understand that about him.”

Some are sad about the hairstyle change, but Ewers is focused on taking the next step in this play from his sophomore season last year for the Longhorns. The South Lake, TX, native threw for over 2100 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. And that was all playing in only 10 of the Longhorns’ 13 games due to an injury he suffered against Alabama.

This season on the field, Ewers is all business, and he now has a haircut that reflects that. 2023 will be the Longhorns’ last season in the Big 12, and they want to make it a good one. The majority of college football experts have Texas as the favorite to win the conference this year. Many look to the expected growth of Ewers in the pocket to lead the Longhorns on a triumphant swan song campaign in the Big 12. And success in 2023 will likely bring more attention to the Longhorns’ star quarterback in a good way than his previous, albeit stylish, hairstyle did.