Arizona State Head Coach on Quinn Ewers Recruitment: 'I Had No Chance'

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers was recruited by Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham, even if he didn't realize it at the time.

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) leaves the field after defeating the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron E. Martinez/USA Today Network via Imagn Images | Aaron E. Martinez-USA Today Network via Imagn Images

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers was one of the biggest names in high school recruiting history when he came out of Southlake Carroll in the 2021 class.

Naturally, he was recruited by seemingly every Power conference team during high school, including Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham. Ewers will take on Dillingham's Devils in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl on New Year's Day, and it's safe to say the quarterback knows the head coach he's up against, even if he might have been unaware of who he was just a few years ago.

Dillingham shared his thoughts on Ewers and the recruiting process when speaking to the media via Zoom alongside Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian last week.

"I recruited Quinn a little bit at a high school, so I got to watch him," Dillingham said. "He doesn't even know I recruited him because I had no chance to sign him, so I never really talked to him, but I watched him, and he's a phenomenal player."

Dillingham, who's in his second year at Arizona State, bounced around multiple programs before being hired to lead his alma mater. It's unclear for which program he was recruiting Ewers, who received his first offer in 2016 when he was in middle school. Dillingham was the Memphis offensive coordinator in 2018 before taking the same role at Auburn (2019), Florida State (2020-21) and Oregon (2022).

Dillingham has watched Ewers play for years now at this point and offered up some "dangerous" praise for him.

"He's accurate, can extend plays, super intelligent," Dillingham said. "You can tell when he gets to the line of scrimmage. One of the things I don't think gets praised enough is smart quarterbacks that get you into good plays. And when you watch him play, you see him getting them into good plays consistently. And those are the dangerous guys, the guys that when there's nine seconds left in the clock, checks you into a touchdown."

No. 5 Texas and No. 4 Arizona State will kick off from Atlanta on Wednesday at 12 p.m. CT.

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