Quinn Ewers helped bring Texas back; can he take the next step against Georgia?

Before we think about how far Texas has come since the day Quinn Ewers first stepped on campus, let’s remember what he was always supposed to be the day he committed to former Longhorns coach Tom Herman on Dec. 12, 2021.

Ewers, the hot-shot quarterback recruit with the golden arm, the No. 1 overall player in the country from Southlake (Texas) Carroll, was the face of change for Texas football while he was still in high school. When he issued that verbal commitment to Texas’ former coach, it signified the revival of a storied program that had gone dormant. He was the face of the restoration of one of the country’s most prideful programs, the home-grown talent that was going to save Texas from college football purgatory. He was the savior when Texas still needed one.

Along the line somewhere, many of us have forgotten that.

So with No. 1 Texas hosting No. 5 Georgia in Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday night, now is the time to give flowers to a former a rare five-star quarterback who lived up to the seemingly immeasurable hype.

How did we forget in the first place? There may be a few reasons for that. First, he decommitted from Herman’s staff — marking the beginning of the end for Herman at Texas — flipped to Ohio State and signed with the Buckeyes as part of their 2021 recruiting class. Even though he only spent one fall in Columbus before returning to Texas as a transfer, that career move splintered the story.

Of course, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian landed the most hyped quarterback recruit of all time in Arch Manning in the 2023 cycle after Ewers started only one year for the Longhorns. Because of Manning’s larger-than-life presence, so many who track this Texas program have continued to stay fixated on the future. The present—which has transformed this program—sometimes even feels secondary.

Maybe that’s because you couldn’t create a fictional recruit who commands more attention, headlines and hype than Manning. Manning’s hype was infinitely larger than the hype around Ewers’ recruitment, which is saying something.

The legend of Manning continued into this season, one in which Texas is one of the favorites to win a national title. Ewers, who has been prone to injury during his two-plus years as Texas’ starter, got banged up this year and had to miss a few games. That opened the door the for the all-world figure Manning, who started two games, looked great and secured wins. Now, it seems like all but a certainty that Manning will be a star when his time comes, presumably next year.

But this year is still happening. And the ceiling is a national title.

Ewers, somehow, seems to get lost in the shuffle. He doesn’t command as much national attention as former star quarterbacks have in the past. He isn’t talked about the way we spoke about Trevor Lawrence while he was at Clemson, for instance. He isn’t even the no-doubt-about it biggest star in the sport this year, even during a season in which there aren’t many quarterbacks who steal all the headlines like Lawrence or even Caleb Williams did a year ago. In reality, Ewers is the second-most famous player on his own roster, behind the quarterback who backs him up.

Maybe he doesn’t get the recognition because injuries have periodically taken him out of the spotlight like the one he suffered this year. Or maybe it is crazy to compare him to Lawrence, who won a national title as a true freshman, or Williams, one of the most electric players we’ve ever seen.

Ewers hasn’t won a national title at Texas, but he’s been the quarterback during this Sarkisian rebuild.

Ewers led Texas to its first Big 12 championship in 14 — yes, 14 — years and its first College Football Playoff appearance a year ago. He did it during predicting Texas to find success during the preseason was met with an eye roll.

Had he completed one more pass at the end of the Playoff semifinal game against Washington, the Longhorns would have advanced to the national title game. Who knows what would have happened in Houston, back in the Lone Star State, against the Wolverines.

For some reason, there are many people out there who still feel like Ewers is just pretty good. Even after he looked shaky for a quarter and a half against Oklahoma last week, there were some already itching to see more of Manning. That’s the reality of his situation.

Why is it so easy to ignore Ewers has played well in the biggest moments? In his second-ever start at Texas in 2022, he pushed Alabama to the brink in the first half before having to leave the game with a collarbone injury. Against the same Alabama team in Tuscaloosa last season, he threw for 349 yards in the Longhorns’ statement win. Even against Washington in a game where it seemed like Texas barely possessed the ball for much of the second half, he threw for 318. Against Michigan this year? 246 yards and three touchdowns. Ewers shows up.

Much of the credit for Texas’ rebirth has to go to Sarkisian’s roster building. Yes, Texas broke through a year ago, but pound for pound, player for player, the Longhorns are built like the recruiting juggernauts of the sport. Texas is much more like Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia than every other team still in the mix for the Playoff this year. That’s a fact.

In the 15 years before Sarkisian’s arrival, this program was in a constant state of mediocrity. Nobody had done less with more than these Longhorns. So when quarterback Sam Ehlinger said “Longhorn Nation: we’re baaaaaaaaack!” following the Sugar Bowl win over Georgia at the conclusion of the 2018 season, Texas has been mocked over it.

Six years later, against these same Georgia Bulldogs, that isn’t a joke anymore.

Texas is back because being back was never about one fun season or a big win. Being back was about being a program with staying power, a roster that’s going to be elite year over year. It was about being considered a legitimate national title contender without the eye rolls.

This transformation all happened during Ewers’ tenure as Texas’ staring quarterback, just like it was supposed to be while he was a recruit.

Yet three years into this, it feels like every time he comes out onto the field he has to prove to the world he’s good all over again.

Against Georgia Saturday, Texas doesn’t have to prove it’s back.

But Ewers has the chance to remind us anyway.