Quinn Ewers named On3's No. 2 preseason Heisman Trophy candidate
Not only is Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers On3’s No. 2 Heisman candidate among Southeastern Conference schools, he’s On3’s No. 2 Heisman candidate among all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
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Simonton ranked Ewers behind only Georgia’s Carson Beck in his list of preseason Heisman Trophy contenders. Ewers, who is entering his third season at Texas, is the incumbent starting quarterback for the Longhorns as they join the SEC for the 2024 season.
Ewers led the Longhorns to a 12-2 record, a College Football Playoff appearance, and a Big 12 Championship in 2023. He was 272-for-394 for 3479 yards and 22 touchdowns over six interceptions in 12 games. He also rushed for five scores.
In his career at Texas, he’s 444-for-690 for 5656 yards and 37 touchdowns over 12 interceptions. He has six career rushing touchdowns.
Here’s what Simonton had to say about Ewers.
QB Quinn Ewers, Texas
Ewers has yet to truly live up to his No. 1 overall prospect billing but perhaps that comes to fruition this fall. The Longhorns’ third-year starter has been at his best in big games (see: Alabama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State last season) and Ewers will have plenty of chances to play in the spotlight against a schedule that includes Michigan, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
He threw for 3,500 yards last season, and although he’s working with a whole new cast of wideouts, Texas has another loaded receiver room this fall.
If Ewers plays with more consistency and continues to lead a Texas team back into a national title contender, then he’ll be a Top 5 candidate — not just in the SEC but for the whole field.
Texas has not had a player win the Heisman since 1998, when Ricky Williams took home the second trophy in program history. Prior to Williams, Earl Campbell was the only Longhorn to take home the award. He was honored for his 1977 campaign.
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The last time the Longhorns had a Heisman finalist was 2009, when Colt McCoy finished third behind runner-up Toby Gerhart of Stanford and winner Mark Ingram of Alabama. It was McCoy’s second time being a Heisman finalist, as he was runner-up to Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford in 2008.
Bijan Robinson finished in the top 10 of Heisman voting in 2022, earning a ninth place finish in a season where he won the Doak Walker Award. Prior to Robinson, D’Onta Foreman had the best finish for a Longhorn since McCoy’s 2009 bronze, placing eighth in Heisman voting the year Louisville’s Lamar Jackson took home the trophy.
Ewers has no shortage of offensive weapons in 2024, and will be operating behind an offensive line returning 123 total starts and four starters who protected him during the 2023 season.
If Ewers wins Heisman No. 3 for the Longhorns, he’ll have topped a number of talented quarterbacks in order to earn the sport’s highest honor.
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The Top 10 Heisman Trophy candidates in 2024
- Carson Beck, QB, Georgia
- Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
- Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon
- Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
- Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
- Cam Ward, QB, Miami (Fla.)
- Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame
- Nico Iamaleava, QB, Tennessee
- Will Howard, QB, Ohio State
- Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona
