How Can Texas Land Quinn Ewers? Ask Steve Sarkisian
The NCAA transfer portal is nothing more than a glorified way of saying free agency. No, teams can't pay for players, but boosters working with the new NIL rulings certainly can.
Quinn Ewers is the top name in the portal. The quarterback from Ohio State entered the transfer portal after playing two snaps this season in Columbus. There's no bad blood between the two sides.
There shouldn't be. Ewers is a multi-millionaire off his name alone. He can choose to play anywhere and lose nothing more than a locker spot on a different roster.
This is Texas' priority in the coming days. This is why Steve Sarkisian was brought to Austin. Recruit, rebuild, win.
Using every avenue possible? Go for it, Sark. You have to at this point.
Ewers didn't leave the Buckeyes because he wasn't talented. No, it was because of the guy who won the starting job in Week 1. C.J. Stroud didn't play against Akron in Week 3, leading to speculation that Ryan Day could be looking elsewhere.
Stroud returned against Rutgers, went off, and is now hours away from sitting in New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. Oh, and he still has another year of eligibility before he could declare for the NFL Draft.
Ewers isn't waiting. Why would he? SI99 graded him out as the No. 2 QB prospect in the country for the 2022 season before he elected to reclassify and head to the Big 10.
Day wouldn't bring a then-high school senior by age if he didn't think he was ready. Why wouldn't he be ready to start in 2022 Week 1 elsewhere?
Texas is getting the head start on landing Ewers via social media. Texas freshman wide receiver Xavier Worthy tweeted "Ohhh, hey there Quinn Ewers.” This set the seed in Ewers' head maybe.
Worthy is an easy selling point for any quarterback being approached by Texas. The former Michigan commit trusted Sarkisian, arrived this summer, and ended his first season as the new freshman record holder in every just about receiving category.
He did that with Casey Thompson and Hudson. Imagine the type of production Worthy could see with Ewers hurling heaters 60-plus yards down the field in stride.
Sarkisian has laid down the groundwork. The two met earlier this month when he made the trip to the Dallas area to visit the Ewers' family. How did it go?
Come back after the Texas Tech visit and find out.
Those are likely the top two locations for the Southlake Carroll alum. And no, don't count the Red Raiders out just yet. Joey McGuire might know little about head coaching in college, but the recruiting wizard has his own tricks to put prospects under his spell.
Don't believe it? Take a look at Baylor. Two 10-plus win seasons and a Big 12 title since the Matt Rhule era?
Ewers still would have to earn the job should he choose Texas. He would have to beat out Thompson, Card and fellow Texas commit Maalik Murphy for the title of QB1.
Then again, Card was a higher recruit than Thompson. He struggled to learn Sarkisian's offense when the lights were brightest. As for Thompson, he impressed in his first season, throwing for 24 touchdowns against nine interceptions.
Thompson's biggest weakness is he might not be the game-changer Texas needs. The Longhorns went on a six-game losing streak, finished 5-7 on the year, and missed out on a bowl game altogether after starting 4-1.
The junior QB wasn't the biggest blunder in the mishap known as Sark's first rodeo. He also wasn't the solution. The boosters are enraged and bucking like a bull out the shoot.
Sarkisian can't sit around and hope for growth from Thompson and Card. Nor should he.
“I think that we have to open that job up,” Sarkisian said last month. “I think we have to let these guys compete to see the development. We’re gonna tear this thing all the way down, and we’re gonna start this thing back at square one come winter conditioning and then into spring ball.”
With the new NIL deals arriving left and right, Ewers next move might be a business one. Texas recently made headlines thanks to its NIL deal with Horns with Heart, a non-profit organization that will pay $50,000 to all offensive linemen on scholarship.
Who says you can't pay for protection, huh? The Pancake Factory? Can you call it, profitable protection?
At some point, Sarkisian has to meet the criteria of winning both on the field and on the recruiting trail. Ewers made millions just by sitting on a bench.
He's ready to play but needs the right sales pitch. Worthy is one part of the equation. NIL is the other. Add both together and have him sign on the dotted line.
Coaches are often lumped in the same category as car salesmen. They're sleazy, but they get the job done. The best salesmen always land the big-ticket target.
That target is Ewers and Sark needs to that signature now more than ever.
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