'Really Confident' Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers Impresses in First Spring Practice
The Texas Longhorns kicked off their first day of spring football camp on Tuesday morning, as they begin preparation for their first season in the SEC.
The Horns are entering their inaugural year in the conference with incredibly high expectations, with many projecting them to reach both the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff out of the gate.
And while those expectations are indeed lofty, they are also understandable given the team's talent - particularly at the quarterback spot, where Quinn Ewers is entering his third season as the starter.
"I thought Quinn played really confident today and had good command," Sarkisian said of his QB after Day 1.
Obviously, one day of spring football doesn't mean much, with the Horns having plenty to work on as the camp progresses.
After all, the team lost an immense amount of talent - including their top five pass catchers - to the NFL Draft, meaning that Ewers will have even more on his shoulders next fall than he did in 2023.
That's not to say that there aren't talented receivers though, either, with Isaiah Bond, Amari Niblack, Silas Bolden, and Matthew Golden all making their way to Austin via the portal, as well as an elite class of freshmen.
Not to mention the already in-house talents of Johntay Cook, DeAndre Moore and others.
Rather, according to Sarkisian, it will take time for Ewers to develop rapport with his new weapons - which is likely his biggest challenge this spring.
"I'm just looking for guys that can do what we're asking of them," Sarkisian said. "We're a very talented group, and then the quarterbacks trusting those guys that they're going to be where they're supposed to be. That's going to be a bit of a process as we go, but it was a good start to it."
That process will include a good deal of shuffling as well, with Texas deploying a group of pass catchers that can quite literally line up anywhere at any time.
In fact, it might be one of the most versatile rooms in the country and will be very hard to defend on Saturdays next fall - once that group gets its feet wet in spring drills and begins to develop the chemistry with Ewers, of course.
All things considered, however, while the new-look offense is still figuring things out with the new personnel, Sarkisian is certainly happy with the way things have gone so far - particularly from his starting QB and his leader.
"For a first day, a spring practice, I was definitely pleased," He said.
