Fantastic Friday - Longhorns land commitment from 2022 QB Quinn Ewers

Longhorn fans might want to mark this day on their calendar.

Moments ago, Texas picked up one of its biggest commitments in years when 2022 quarterback Quinn Ewers announced that he’ll play his college ball in Austin. The Souhtlake Carroll standout becomes the Longhorns’ second commitment in the 2022 class, joining receiver Phaizon Wilson.

The 6-3, 190-pound Ewers, expected to be a five-star prospect when Rivals updates its rankings next week, gives Texas a tremendous building block around which the staff can build its 2022 recruiting class. Top prospects in that group, including wide receivers Caleb Burton and Armani Winfield, have already expressed an interest in playing with Ewers and sources have told Orangebloods previously that Ewers has already been in touch with several top prospects from around the country.

Ewers is a fairly subdued prospect when it comes to the media, rarely talking about his recruitment in much detail. Early on, there was a sense that Oklahoma might have been the team to beat, but Texas had surged of late due in part to Ewers’ relationship with new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. Yurcich and Ewers have talked regularly since Yurcich arrived in Austin, regularly going over Yurcich’s offensive scheme and breaking down film. The two had a connection from when Yurcich was at Ohio State, and that longstanding relationship paid off on Friday with one of the biggest commitments for the Texas program in the past several years.

"I love those guys over there at Texas. Coach (Mike) Yurcich and (Tom) Herman are awesome guys to talk to,” Ewers said. “We have a lot of fun and a lot of family down there. They're easy to talk to.

"Obviously, I talked to Coach Yurcich over at Ohio State and we built a relationship when he was at Ohio State, so coming to Texas made it easier for him and Coach Herman."

One of the top overall prospects in the nation for his class, Ewers threw for more than 4,000 yards and 45 touchdowns last year against just three interceptions. He added 568 yards on the ground.

“What separates Ewers is his incredible arm talent. He has the ability to sling it all over the field with immense accuracy, including on more difficult and complex route patterns,” said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman. “Ewers has a natural, smooth delivery and, at times, it feels as if the quarterback can place the ball anywhere on the field and can dictate plays.

“Accuracy is largely the most important trait when evaluating quarterbacks and Ewers does not disappoint in that department. His ball placement is off the charts and it’s evident on any route combination from a back-shoulder throw to a deep corner route.”

In landing Ewers, Texas adds yet another top quarterback prospect to a room that already features guys like Hudson Card, Ja’Quinden Jackson and Jalen Milroe, once Milroe enrolls next year. Of that impressive group, Ewers is arguably the top pure passer who also has a tremendous mental grasp of the game that allows him to seemingly visualize plays before they develop.

“Ewers throws with great anticipation and is an excellent decision-maker,” Spiegelman said. “Ewers is naturally calm, cool and collected standing in the pocket and is constantly aware of how much time he has to make a decision. He is very reactive and is quick to get rid of the ball if he senses the pass rush getting to him and has enough arm strength to make a play. Ewers has great vision of the field, too, and can diagnose blitzes and mismatches with his receivers and is quick to react and capitalize.”

Texas has had only one week of practice under the revamped coaching staff, but with Yurcich’s track record at Ohio State and Oklahoma State combined with the building blocks Herman has established in Austin, Ewers said he feels big things are on the horizon for the UT program.

“I feel like they're gonna do some pretty good things this year at Texas and I'm looking forward to seeing it,” he said.