Steve Sarkisian Confident Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers Takes 'Year 2 Step' In 2023
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Steve Sarkisian can make stops in San Antonio, Dallas and Houston, but his answer at quarterback will remain constant.
Texas football might have a new kick to its offense in 2023, but Quinn Ewers will remain in charge under center.
Sarkisian, who enters a pivotal third year with the Longhorns, knows quarterbacks don't just burst onto the scene and take over college football. There have been rare instances where it's happened — Trevor Lawrence leading Clemson to a national title bout as an 18-year-old freshman is likely the most prominent — but most passers make strides each offseason.
So far, that's what Sarkisian has seen from redshirt sophomore Quinn Ewers as he enters Year 2 on the Forty Acres. All the nuances that made him one of the more sought-after names in the transfer portal seem to be in full gear as the heat intensifies before the start of summer camp.
“I’ve seen it in years and years of playing in our system, and I love what Quinn can bring,” Sarkisian told fans in Houston on the final stop of the annual Texas Fight Tour.
Ewers, who won Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, had his fair share of highlight throws and bonehead plays in 10 games last season. He lit up the stat line with a four-touchdown afternoon against rival Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown. He dazzled in the Alamodome, throwing for a career-high 361 yards and leaving fans wanting more in an Alamo Bowl loss to No. 12 Washington.
He also threw three interceptions and completed less than 40 percent of his throws in a loss against Oklahoma State, thus ceasing all College Football Playoff chatter. Ewers also tossed one score in his final three games and finished with a passer rating under 130.
Ok, so there are growing pains in Austin. Sarkisian knows Ewers isn't a finished product. And perhaps that's a good thing since the Southlake Carroll kid's potential was once compared to college football greats during the recruiting cycle.
Sarkisian, a former quarterback for BYU, has been through this stage of quarterback development before—several times, for that matter. Sark says Year 1 has always been about getting down to the basics. Year 2 is about attacking off the physical attributes.
"Year two is when you make those strides and become that elite player,” Sarkisian said. “I saw it with Carson Palmer. In year two, he wins the Heisman trophy and ends up the first pick in the draft. I saw it in Matt Leinart. I saw it in Jake Locker, and he ended up being the 10th pick in the draft."
Palmer threw for 3,942 yards and 33 touchdowns en route to becoming the first overall pick. Leinart, who won college football's most distinguished honor and the national title while Sarkisian was coaching quarterbacks for Oakland, actually posted better numbers in 2005 when Sark returned to Pasadena for Round 2.
Mark Sanchez went on to be a first-round pick with the New York Jets after throwing for 3,207 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2008 with the Trojans. Locker, Sarkisian's first quarterback at Washington, led the Huskies to their first winning season since 2002 in his second season. He'd end up being the No. 8 pick with the Tennessee Titans in 2011.
Most recently, Sarkisian helped Mac Jones go from bench warmer to Davey O'Brien winner within a year during his stint at Alabama. After calling the offense for Heisman finalist Tua Tagovailoa in 2019, many speculated the Crimson Tide would regress with Jones taking over.
Jones ended up smashing Alabama's single-season passing record (4,500 yards) while producing one of college football's more potent scoring offenses of the 21st century. Under Sarkisian, Jones would finish third in the Heisman voting and later be drafted No. 15 overall by the New England Patriots.
"In the last 20 years, I’ve had five quarterbacks get drafted in the top 10 picks of the NFL draft. It’s a little bit attractive to come play in our system, to get developed, come to the University of Texas and get a world-class education, live in the city of Austin, and be on the face of, in my opinion, the best brand in all of sports.”
Quarterback isn't a weak point entering Texas' final year in the Big 12. Sarkisian publicized his delight in both Maalik Murphy and Arch Manning's progress in the spring. Should Ewers suffer an injury, the Longhorns would be flirting with a 1A/1B backup situation to take over.
Still, the job is for Ewers to lose. Sarkisian has made that clear in every city across the Lone Star State and he doesn't intend to change his mind from now until Week 1's kickoff against Rice.
For Ewers, it's not about how he starts his Texas career but how he finishes it. In a more so Sark euphemism, it's how he goes from Year 1 to Year 2 in the system.
"We expect to see the same things from Quinn, and he’s shown us that through spring ball so far,” Sarkisian said.
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