Opinion: Former Texas high school football star Quinn Ewers should go pro

Former Southlake Carroll star is being sought heavily in the portal, but the Texas Longhorns QB should choose the NFL
Quinn Ewers starred for Southlake Carroll High School before going on to star for the Texas Longhorns.
Quinn Ewers starred for Southlake Carroll High School before going on to star for the Texas Longhorns. / Andrew McCulloch

Quinn Ewers has a major decision to make this offseason.

In three years as the starter for the Texas Longhorns, the former Southlake Carroll High School star has become one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, helping Texas become a consistent playoff contender season after season.

However, through all that, the Longhorns have seen the rise of five-star gunslinger Arch Manning, who is poised to take over the starting role in 2025, leaving Ewers' future in Austin in limbo.

Having one year of eligibility left, and some believing that he still needs time to develop before becoming a top NFL Draft prospect, his name has started to be thrown around as a possible transfer candidate.

Some reports say schools have lucrative NIL offers lined up to try to acquire Ewers' services. But while the option to stay in college and earn big money while improving his draft stock might be enticing for Ewers, going pro now is the most logical option.

For athletes, prolonging a college career is as attractice as it has ever been considering how much money can be involved. But, no matter what the scenario may be, the dream of top college athletes is to eventually go pro.

College athletics provide a strong developmental pathway for players to get pro-ready, but as football has a high injury risk, a lot of players look to maximize their potential and go pro when they can.

In Ewers' case, his numbers may not be eye-popping for a high-level college quarterback, throwing for 3,472 yards, 31 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this past season, but he is a proven winner.

He took a Longhorns team that hadn't had double-digit wins since 2018 to a team that was in the College Football Playoff in 2023 and 2024.

He also did so in what is considered college football's most loaded conference, the SEC, which Texas joined this past year.

Ohio State, Ole Miss and Alabama are most interested in Ewers, according to multiple reports, with NIL offers north of $5 million being prepared for him.

Ewers would most likely be guaranteed the starting job wherever he went, which could provide a chance for him to showcase his skills without a top backup like Manning providing competition.

But heading into the 2025 NFL season, many teams will be on the hunt for a quarterback, and in a year where the quarterback class is not considered the strongest by some analysts, Ewers could take full advantage of that.

The money that Ewers would get from a rookie contract, especially if he slips out of the first round, might not be as much as he would get from transferring.

But by going pro, he would be able to maximize his career opportunity and save himself from potentially suffering a career-altering injury in college that could hurt his pro career.

It's time for Ewers to bet on himself and take snaps as a member of an NFL franchise next season instead of staying behind in college any longer.


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Dylan Grausz
DYLAN GRAUSZ

A lifelong sports fan, Dylan has channeled his passion for sports into the world of reporting, always looking to provide the best possible coverage. A graduate of the University of Arizona, Dylan has since gone on to report on all sports, having gained experience covering primarily football, baseball, basketball, softball and soccer.