Quinn Ewers 'excited, not anxious' to be Texas' starting quarterback

For the first time since he was named the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns by Steve Sarkisian, redshirt freshman Quinn Ewers spoke to the media.

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Ewers said Friday that Sarkisian spoke with he and junior Hudson Card individually last week before the starting quarterback was publicly announced. Ever since that moment, things have become a bit easier for Ewers as the Longhorns prepare for the season opener against Louisiana-Monroe.

“It’s been a great week for me and the team,” Ewers said. “I feel like once Sark named the starter and whatnot, it got a little easier, for at least me. Obviously, Hudson’s a great quarterback, and I’m excited to still grow off of each other. This week’s been a lot of fun.”

Ewers is a lifelong Longhorn fan who is living out a dream by being the starting quarterback in Austin. It took a slight detour through Columbus, Ohio with a stop at The Ohio State University before he reached this point, but Ewers’ comfort on the Forty Acres shines through in his demeanor and interview answers.

“I’m just excited to have the opportunity,” Ewers said. “God blessed me, and I’m just super humbled and excited.”

Ewers’ faith is something he wears on his skin. He has “Luke 17:21” tattooed on his throwing arm. The verse references when the Pharisees questioned Jesus in an effort to test him. It reads “no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.”

“When I read that, it hit me,” Ewers said. “It’s through your actions. You just don’t want to be focused on your future, but you want to live through God.”

Even so, Ewers can’t wait for when he takes the field versus the Warhawks in a week.

“Excited, not anxious,” Ewers said. “Obviously there’s going to be butterflies in the locker room and after that first play, but after that first play it’ll be back to the basics.”

“The basics” are something he had to get used to with the Longhorns, even with a semester in Ryan Day’s program at OSU. Ewers mentioned at the high school level, he had to prepare for no more than a handful of coverages. In college, as Ewers said, “they can do whatever they want” thanks to the preparation time available to programs.

He has some help in clearing the picture up in his first year.

“Definitely makes things a lot easier having a great thing in Bijan (Robinson),” Ewers said. “He’s just a wonderful player, and I’m excited to be in the backfield with him.”

The presence of an elite back plus Sarkisian’s offensive prowess has Ewers excited for the season. It has him wanting to relive what he called “vivid” memories of watching Colt McCoy link up with Jordan Shipley.

As McCoy’s career carried on, he became the unquestioned vocal leader of the locker room. Ewers isn’t there quite yet at this early juncture in his career. He said he prefers to lead by example as opposed to being an overly vocal firebrand. He also likes to showcase a calm demeanor, but he understands there’s work to be done as a vocal leader.

There’s work to be done on the field, too, and Ewers would be quick to admit that. He mentioned there were times throughout camp when he stayed and worked with receivers after practice to get additional work.

This week, Sarkisian saw a lot of that hard work pay off.

“Quinn has had a good week,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “I’ve seen some plays where it’s like we’re starting to take another step with him. Some really big time throws on third down, some of his playmaking in the pocket. He made a nice play in two-minute today using his legs to create an explosive play. We’re starting to make the strides I was hopeful for.”

When ULM comes to town in a week’s time, Ewers expects some nervousness. But he’s more than ready to be suiting up for the team he grew up watching.

“I’m excited for the first game,” Ewers said.