Question of the Day: Who is Texas' most important offensive player in 2022?

After meteoric rise as one of the most chronicled quarterback recruits in recent history, Quinn Ewers is finally at Texas. 

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Quarterback remains the most important position in sports. Steve Sarkisian named Ewers the starting signal-caller for Texas in 2022 last week. For a former quarterback-turned-head coach like Sark, Ewers adds an element to an offense will untapped potential. For the Sarkisian era in Austin to really take shape, Ewers is going to have to be good early in his career. 

You could make a case for Bijan Robinson, Kelvin Banks, or Jordan Whittington. Xavier Worthy and Ja’Tavion Sanders might need mentioning too. But if Ewers plays really well, this program really takes off. 

For that reason, Quinn Ewers is my pick for most important offensive player this season.

Eric Nahlin: Again, most important doesn’t mean the best, so I’ll go with Quinn Ewers as an extension of Sark’s ability to manipulate and take advantage of defenses. The absolute quickest way to improve a program is through QB play and between Sark’s playbook, play calling, and Ewers’ unique gifts, the quarterback is the most important cog in the machine. If UT had a strong OL and less talented QB, then I’d go with Bijan Robinson.

Joe Cook: I will say Bijan Robinson as representative for the entire running back room. There is not talent in Tashard Choice’s position group like Robinson, but Roschon Johnson, Keilan Robinson, Jonathon Brooks, and Jaydon Blue form a strong group. Despite attention on Texas’ skill players as well as Quinn Ewers, Sarkisian likes for the running game to drive his offense. No one in that room can drive it like Bijan, which is why he’s my choice, but the entire running game is of major importance this year in order to set up Ewers and company to take advantage of explosive play opportunities. 

Ian Boyd: Bijan Robinson will be a major boost to Quinn Ewers this coming season, who himself will need to grow up quickly during the season to get Texas where they want to go. But the loss of Isaiah Neyor highlights the need for Texas’ true remaining deep threat to have a big season. Xavier Worthy changes the ceiling of this team. He gives Ewers a reliable target to chunk the ball to, can be a focal point in Steve Sarkisian’s shot-taking system, and can help clear defenders out of the box to help Bijan and the other backs.

Paul Wadlington: You can answer this question in two ways: by positive projection and by elimination. The positive projection scenario favors Quinn Ewers if you assume constants everywhere else. Particularly if you feel optimistic about his ability to make all of the throws and you’re confident that he can protect himself by getting the ball out quickly. But the most important offensive player can also be determined by elimination. Remove Bijan? You still have a pretty good running back room. Remove Quinn Ewers? You still have Hudson Card to run the offense. Remove Xavier Worthy? Yikes. 

Bobby Burton: If quarterback is the most important position in sports, then I think it’s safe to assume that it’s also the most important position on the Texas offense. Quinn Ewers is my pick, though the health of Jordan Whittington given what happened to the offense when he went down a year ago would be second.

Gerry Hamilton: My answer was Kelvin Banks prior to the injury to Isaiah Neyor. Now it’s Xavier Worthy. Texas suddenly has less room for error and injury at wide receiver. Needless to say, the Longhorns must have a healthy Worthy this season to provide Sarkisian and the offensive staff the playmaking needed to ascend on the field. Worthy makes everyone else better at the position and is the wide receiver that worries defensive coordinators on a weekly basis. Banks would still be my No. 2, as he takes over left tackle as a true freshman. And I totally get the importance of Quinn Ewers, and the quarterback position.