Everything Texas QB Quinn Ewers had to say before the Cotton Bowl

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers spoke to the media on Monday afternoon before the Horns battle with Ohio State in the 2025 Goodyear Cotton Bowl as a part of the College Football Playoff semifinals. Here’s what he had to say.

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Q. You’re obviously in Columbus only one semester. What stands out to you about that time and your decision to come and your decision to go? Obviously, CJ Stroud had established himself. I’m sure that was a big reason. But if you could kind of talk about your time here.

QUINN EWERS: Yeah, learned a lot while I was there under Coach [Ryan] Day and CJ, and just that whole room was awesome to be around. Super thankful for that me that I got to spend there. Like I said, I learned a whole lot.

So, I don’t regret any decision I’ve made on going or anything like that, but the main reason I went was I felt like I had a great relationship with the coaching staff. And they were winning a lot of games, and I wanted to go be a part of something like that. And the reason that I came back to Texas was, one, to be closer to where I’m from and just closer to the resources that I have and the relationships that I’ve built over me just being from Texas.

Q. Quinn, kind of along those lines, what was one of the biggest tips that you got from CJ [Stroud]? And do you still keep up with him, as well, now that he’s not too far from you in Houston?

QUINN EWERS: Yeah, no, we don’t keep up that much. But I got one of his receivers that he played with in high school in Silas Bolden. So, we caught up a little bit over that just talking about Silas. But it’s been fun to watch him as his NFL career continues and everything. But what I really learned from the guys in that room is really how to be a college quarterback and what it takes to be a college quarterback, from preparing in the film room and taking that on to practice. And then, ultimately, the game.

Q. Just kind of going off of that as well, what it’s going to be like going up against your former coach in Ryan Day? But you’ve also got some of your former teammates. Tyleik Williams called you his guy, and you’ve got Emeka Egbuka, guys like that. What’s that going to be like for you?

QUINN EWERS: Yeah, it’s going to be awesome just to see all those guys again. In the semester that I was there, I feel like I made some pretty good relationships while I was there. Those guys were fun to be around when I was there. They took me in and kind of, in a weird me for sure, me coming in kind of in the middle of fall camp. Some of those guys kind of just saying what’s up to me, as simple as that, and welcoming me in.

I felt like I belonged there. It’s going to be fun to get to see those guys. Me and Jack Sawyer were roommates my freshman year with a couple other guys, so it’s going to be cool to get to see those guys, for sure.

Q. I’m curious, from your time here at Texas, do you remember a time when not only Coach [Steve] Sarkisian, A.J. Milwee, the rest of the staff and team, when they put their complete and unwavering trust in you as their quarterback, do you remember that time? And what was it like?

QUINN EWERS: Well, I can tell you my first fall camp here, obviously, I was battling with Hudson Card to earn the starting job. And then towards the end of that, Sark and me had a good conversation where he pretty much told me that it’s my job. I think that was a big step for me, obviously, because it makes things a whole lot easier whenever you do know that you’re going to be the quarterback, especially the starter. It just helped my confidence, for sure.

That year, there were definitely some ups and downs going on with the injury. We came out the first quarter against Alabama in 2022, and we were rolling as an offense. I feel like that, obviously, helped build confidence in me and then everybody around me. From then on out, it’s kind of just built on from then.

Q. Quinn, just wanted to ask, from your time at Ohio State, are there any specific relationships you made with people there that have really stayed strong for you to this day?

QUINN EWERS: Well, me and Kyle [McCord] still talk a good amount. I know he’s not there anymore, but we talk often. I guess it’s been a li le bit, but to me, those relationships feel like if I’d see them walking down the side of the road, it would be like I was hanging out with them yesterday. I just feel like those relationships that I built there, they were definitely super special, for sure.

Q. Quinn, what is a finish to the Peach Bowl like you had, fourth and 13, and then turning right around and hitting Gunnar [Helm] for the touchdown and hitting Matt [Golden] for the two-point conversion, what does that do for your confidence, as a quarterback, the biggest moment to deliver?

QB QUINN EWERS: Yeah. I think that’s — you know, it’s awesome for everybody around us and everybody around me. We had our backs up against the wall for sure in that game. Fourth and 13 in a moment we had to have it. Matthew made a great play on a double move, and I think that single play allowed us to regain momentum and go on to win the rest of that game. It’s definitely huge for our confidence, just because being in those type of moments, those got-to-have-it moments and coming out with a win is huge.

Q. And what has to happen against Ohio State? What kind of performance does the offense need to have for you-all to pull off this win?

QUINN EWERS: Yeah, we’ve just got to go play our game and execute at a high level and have
first and second down wins that will ultimately lead to shorter third downs and more manageable third downs. And if we’re able to do that, then the drive will continue to work down the field, and then obviously we have to score in the red zone. Field goals, I don’t think, will get it done.

Q. Quinn, if you size up the Ohio State defense, especially your old friend Jack Sawyer, what stands out? What jumps out at you? I know they had 12 sacks in the last two games. So how would you assess them?

QB QUINN EWERS: Well, I think that they’re a really high-effort group, and they play super hard. They’re coached really well. Whenever you have coaches like that that put the schemes in that they have, they create mismatches, and they create one-on-ones that they do a good job of maximizing every opportunity that they get. And I think they do a really good job of covering on the back end. And I think they’re just a really good overall defense.

Q. Quinn, when you first got to Ohio State, I think it was in the middle of training camp, you got reclassified. Can you kind of talk about what the motivation was to arrive then, and what the challenge was like joining the team at that juncture, kind of in the middle of camp?

QB QUINN EWERS: Yeah. Well, I guess one of the main things was that there was that — I don’t know if you guys remember or not, but the Texas Legislature wasn’t going to allow high school football players to be paid, and me and my family had a pretty big opportunity in front of us that we felt that it was a good decision for me to go on and forego my senior year and enroll early at Ohio State and I have the opportunity to have some good money in our pockets as a family.

Q. In getting to the team in the middle of camp, I imagine that was a challenge. What was that
like?

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QUINN EWERS: Yeah. No, it was definitely — definitely had to grow up super fast. As you know, fall camp is not easy, and going from a high school schedule to where you’re practicing after school, whatever it is, practicing before school, and for me to kind of go in in the middle of fall camp and practice at a college level was definitely a shock, for sure. But again, I’m just super thankful for my opportunity that I had up there.