Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers 'Operating At High Level' in Fall Camp
Fans can mention the Heisman hype. Scouts can discuss his first-round tools. Coaches can praise his maturity in the film room and on the field as much as they want.
For Quinn Ewers, none of that matters if he doesn't deliver at quarterback for Texas entering its final year in the Big 12. He's not looking for individual honors, not when the Longhorns are the favorites to win the conference for the first time since 2009.
On Wednesday, Ewers gave reporters and those in attendance something to discuss. He looked poised in the pocket during the 20-minute session media members could attend. The ball traveled with ease downfield.
Throws last season that looked challenging seemed effortless. His command of the huddle was met with respect and attentiveness. Even Steve Sarkisian, a former quarterback himself, had to give the redshirt sophomore his due.
Quinn played really, really well (today)," Sarkisian said after practice. "One of the better practices he's had since I've been here.”
Teams live or die by quarterback play these days. The good news for Texas is there's options should Ewers regress. Second-year passer Maalik Murphy looked ready and able to lead the offense during the spring game after returning from injury. All eyes are fixated on the freshman phenom Arch Manning, who looks to eventually lead Texas into the future with success as a member of the SEC.
Success is defined differently for each passer. For Ewers, it means living up to the sky-high expectations set when he was named the unquestioned starter after spring practice. It means building off his first season in the offense, where he threw for 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns in 10 games.
It means performances like Oklahoma, where he threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns, become common nature, while outings against Oklahoma State — a three-interception day — are left in the past. Everything else, like winning the Maxwell Award or taking a trip to New York in December for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, are aspirations, not preconceived notions.
Everyone has to start somewhere before reaching the finish line. Sark believes for Ewers, it begins with working on the little details before mastering the bigger battles.
"He moved really well in the pocket and kept his vision up downfield and was able to make throws kind of off platform on the move, which is something that we've really been working on in the offseason coming off of last year," said Sarkisian. “And when things weren't there, he was finding completions, he was finding check-downs. So it was just a clean practice for him.
"It just felt like he operated at a high level.”
Consistency wins games. Cohesion claims multiple victories. Ewers displayed both Wednesday, especially when progressing and finding his target. Accuracy was a significant concern in the Southlake Carroll product's game last fall as he completed roughly 58 percent of his throws.
Ewers can't do everything on his own. No one is asking him to, either. Still, the pressure is on for the highly-touted passer to either comply or crack under pressure.
One day into the new year, Ewers chose to achieve the former.
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