Quinn Ewers named Texas' starting quarterback to open 2022 season

The Texas quarterback battle is over. Quinn Ewers will take the first snaps of the season for the Longhorns, Steve Sarkisian announced through a spokesperson Friday.

Hudson Card was the effective incumbent after Casey Thompson entered the transfer portal this offseason while Texas dove into the portal to bring in Ewers — a former Five Star Plus+ recruit and one-time Longhorns commit who spent last year at Ohio State. Ewers was the No. 4 player to enter the portal during the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

But it’ll be Ewers’ show in 2022.

Last season, Card began the year as the starter before Thompson took over as the starter. He appeared in seven games, throwing for 590 yards and five touchdowns in that span. Ewers, meanwhile, only saw a few snaps for Ohio State after re-classifying before the season. He never threw a pass during his time in Columbus. The two were competing for the starting job, and head coach Steve Sarkisian previously said the competition was “tight” during an Aug. 15 press conference.

However, Sarkisian spoke with ESPN’s Chris Low Aug. 17 and said he had “an idea” of who the starting quarterback would be. He also discussed the differences between the two as training camp went on.

“Last year was difficult in having two players that were new to the [offensive] system, and that’s always hard, especially when one of them isn’t a returning starter who had really been in the fire,” Sarkisian told Low. “This year, even though they’re new, Hudson’s got a little experience, and Quinn is coming in from another program. The reality is Quinn should really be a freshman in college. He reclassified after preseason camp had started. It was kind of a wash of a season for him.”

Sarkisian and Co. are getting ready for their second season in Austin after a 5-7 campaign last season. The Longhorns got busy on the recruiting trail and in the portal, bringing in four of On3’s top 35 transfers and putting together the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking.