© Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Quinn Ewers Headlines Longhorns Attending Big 12 Media Days
Quinn Ewers will be the reason Texas football makes headlines as a College Football Playoff dark horse in 2023. He'll also be the headliner of the Longhorns' final summer trip to Arlington.
Ewers, along with linebacker Jaylan Ford, receivers Xavier Worthy, senior and Jordan Whittington, and defensive back Jahdae Barron, will join Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian for Big 12 Media Days on July 12 at AT&T Stadium. The Longhorns, often the closers of media days, will speak on Day 1 one final time before heading to the Southeastern Conference in 2024.
Pressure is on Texas to make noise before departing for a conference whose slogan is "It Just Means More." The Longhorns haven't won a Big 12 since 2009, when they last played for a national championship. Since the end of the Mack Brown era in 2012, Texas has only played in one conference title game, losing 39-27 to Oklahoma.
The talent is there for Sarkisian, who enters his third year with a 13-12 record as UT's head coach. The Longhorns' newest sales pitch of playing in the "semi-pro" football conference helped the program land a top-five recruiting class this past cycle. Veterans like receiver AD Mitchell, defensive back Jalen Catalon and cornerback Gavin Holmes also elected to join the Forty Acres franchise via the transfer portal.
Ewers is one of several high-profile names that could become staples of NFL draft buzz with a productive campaign. Last season, results were mixed following a Week 2 shoulder injury suffered in a loss against Alabama. On one hand, the Southlake product tossed four touchdowns in the biggest lopsided win of the River River Showdown in program history. On the other, he threw three interceptions and completed less than 40 percent of his passes in a loss to Oklahoma State.
A cohesive connection between Worthy and Ewers could be dividends for the passing game this fall in Austin. Worthy, who won Big 12 Newcomer of the Year after finishing with a freshman record of 12 touchdowns, never found a rapport with Ewers at the helm. Still, the junior enters potentially his final year with the program third all-time in touchdowns (21) and could garner first-round buzz with a promising start to the new season.
Defensively, Texas improved from Year 1 to Year 2 under coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski. While DeMarvion Overshown, Keondre Coburn and Anthony Cook, Ford, Barron and Collins should be plug-and-play options in terms of leadership.
Ford, a Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year contender, posted career-highs in tackles (119), tackles for loss (10), and interceptions (4) en route to earning first-team All-Big 12 honors. Barron, who rotated in at cornerback and STAR, registered 78 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and two interceptions.
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