Can Longhorns Quinn Ewers Be Next Great Sarkisian QB?
AUSTIN - If Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is known for one thing above all else, it is his ability to evaluate, develop and produce NFL-caliber quarterbacks.
And he might be better at it than anyone else in the country.
Need proof? Just look at the facts.
In his time as a coach, Sarkisian has put multiple quarterbacks in record books, in New York for Heisman Trophy ceremonies, and into the NFL as high draft picks.
At USC it was Carson Palmer (Heisman winner), Matt Leinart (Heisman winner), Mark Sanchez (top-5 NFL pick) Matt Cassel, and Cody Kessler.
At Washington, it was Jake Locker (top-10 NFL Draft pick).
At Alabama, it was Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovialoa (Heisman finalist) and Mac Jones (Heisman finalist).
And now with the Longhorns, Quinn Ewers, who was named the Texas starter on Friday, looks to be the next in that long line of Sarkisian-led quarterbacks to achieve greatness.
During his time with the Southlake Dragons in high school, Ewers graded out as the No. 2 QB prospect for the 2022 recruiting class on SI99’s preseason list behind Westlake (Austin, TX) Cade Klubnik (Clemson).
In his career with the Dragons, Ewers put up video game numbers, completing 450 of 643 passes for 6,445 yards and 73 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. He also rushed 116 times for 701 yards and 12 more scores.
Ewers then reclassified to the 2021 class and enrolled at Ohio State, where he eventually lost out on the competition for the starting job with Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud.
Make no mistake, however, despite his decision to transfer, Ewers is still an elite talent, and became arguably the most physically gifted passer in the Big 12 from the moment he enrolled at Texas.
All he needed, was a new opportunity, and for the right coach to get him to the next level.
And Given his history, Sark, of course, was the easy, and frankly the only choice.
Now, things are already off to a fantastic start for Ewers.
Upon his arrival in Austin, the redshirt freshman immediately began assuming a leadership role within the team, eventually winning a tight quarterback battle over the incumbent former starter, Hudson Card.
He has also developed a tremendous rapport with the Longhorns' top pass catchers, including Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington, J'Tavion Sanders, and before his unfortunate injury, Isaiah Neyor.
That is not to say that there will not be challenges for Ewers.
He is new to Sarkisian's offense, and has only had a matter of months to learn the ins and outs of the system. And while that youth and inexperience has shown at times with mistakes in practice, his arm talent and his ability to make any conceivable throw, far outweigh his negatives.
Fortunately for Ewers, those negatives are all things that can be ironed out with competitive reps, and live game action.
Unfortunately for Ewers, some of those early in-game reps will have to come against the nation's No. 1 team - the Alabama Crimson Tide - in Week 2.
But once Ewers is able to get those reps and adjust to the speed of the college game, there likely will not be many defenses in the Big 12, or any conference for that matter, that will be able to compete with his talent.
A talent that, in the hands of Sarkisian, has the chance to become something truly special.
You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan
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