WATCH: Quinn Ewers sends TopGolf shot into oblivion

Evidently, Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers can do a lot more than play football — he can golf, too.

Texas passing game coordinator Brennan Marion recently tweeted from a team event, as the Longhorns were at TopGolf on an excursion of sorts, saying, “I just watched @QuinnEwers hit the damn ball over the net at top golf…Wow.”

And judging from his Instagram story, he wasn’t kidding. Ewers crushed a shot over the netting at TopGolf, leading to an impressed response from the Longhorns watching nearby.

Quinn Ewers: part quarterback, part @WorldLongDrive competitor https://t.co/ql9Z7v9wTy pic.twitter.com/cPV4bkp2lV

— Simon Gibbs (@SimonGibbs26) February 16, 2022

Ewers, a former Five-Star Plus+ quarterback, originally committed to Texas out of high school, but he later switched his commitment to Ohio State. After one season at the end of the depth chart, Ewers entered the NCAA Transfer Portal and committed once again to Texas.

Steve Sarkisian relays advice he’s giving Quinn Ewers, other Texas quarterbacks

As Steve Sarkisian heads into year two in Austin, he hopes his Texas Longhorns can rebound from their 5-7 performance in 2021, a season in which the program once ranked as high as No. 15 in the AP Top 25 poll but fell just short of bowl eligibility.

To Sarkisian’s credit, at least on paper, the 2022 team already looks quite different than the 2021 roster. That roster overhaul begins with a talented freshman class, one that’s highlighted by five-star offensive lineman Devon Campbell and five-star offensive tackle Kelvin Banks; five-stars aside, Texas also reeled in 20 four-star prospects, and its 2022 recruiting class ranked No. 5 in the country according to the On3 Consensus. But the freshman are just the tip of the iceberg.

Perhaps the biggest change in Texas’ depth chart will come under center. Texas utilized two quarterbacks in 2021, but neither Casey Thompson or Hudson Card were perfect. Now, Sarkisian has a new face, a more-than-likely day one starter, a former Texas commit-turned-Ohio State commit and a former Five-Star Plus+ prospect in Buckeyes transfer Quinn Ewers.

Sarkisian has a crowded quarterback room, despite Ewers headlining the group. As of now, he says that all quarterbacks are in different stages of their development; in order to improve, they must focus on their own body of work, rather than comparing their process to the next player’s.

“From a quarterbacks perspective, they’re all in varying phases,” Sarkisian explained. “Hudson (Card) is going into year three in the program, year two in our system. Quinn (Ewers) having come from Ohio State, and now transferring, has been in college a little bit. So, a little bit of understanding. Maalik (Murphy) is coming right out of high school, first time on a college campus or in a different spot. And then Charles (Wright) being in year two. I think the biggest thing for all these guys is focusing on what they need to do individually, and not get caught up in what the guy next to them is working on, or what we’re working on with him. But focus on what they need to do, and let us pour into them to develop them.”

Card, the only returning quarterback with substantial collegiate playing time, was Texas’ season-opening starter in 2021; though Thompson, who has since transferred to Nebraska, later took over under center. Card amassed 590 passing yards on a 61.4 percent completion rate, along with five touchdowns and one interception. Ewers, by comparison, played a mere few snaps at Ohio State, despite entering as the nation’s top recruit. He was beat out in fall camp by CJ Stroud, who went on to become a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Sarkisian has two college veterans — one (Card) with experience playing at Texas, one (Ewers) without much college playing experience at all — plus one true freshman (Murphy), and one returning player without significant in-game experience (Wright). Needless to say, each prospect will have a different approach to spring and fall camps, given that their backgrounds contrast.

“Not everybody is going to develop at the same pace and the same rate, and everybody is at a different stage in their career. So, trusting our history of developing quarterbacks to dive into you individually, and here’s what we want you to work on and make that happen,” Sarkisian explained. “I think (those are) the guys that ultimately develop the quickest and develop the best because they believe in the process that they’re going through, not worrying about what the other guys are going through. So, you can probably guess what my next answer is going to be: they’re all going to be a different phase of spring practice, every guy has got different things to work on.”

Sarkisian hopes that by the time the fall rolls around, he’ll have more than one quarterback willing and able to take the reins under center. Granted, it will almost certainly not be a two-quarterback system like last year — as Ewers is a runaway favorite to man the quarterback spot — but with the right preparation, Texas could have several competitors at the most important offensive position.

“Ultimately, over time, when we get ourselves to the first ballgame come September, that we’ve got three, four possible guys that we feel comfortable can go into the game and manage our team and move the football,” Sarkisian said. “As long as they focus on what they need to do and not get caught up in what others are doing, or what you guys write about, or what the other guys are doing, or who should or who shouldn’t — just focus on themselves, and that ultimately will give them the best opportunity for themselves and the best position to have success.”