Texas QB Quinn Ewers: 5 Things to Know About the Longhorns Starter

Texas football might officially be back, and quarterback Quinn Ewers is a big reason why.

The redshirt sophomore has the Longhorns off to a 5-0 start this season and ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press poll, the program's highest ranking since 2009 when it played in the national championship game. Ewers has scored 15 total touchdowns through five games and has Longhorns fans eyeing a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Texas already has two ranked wins this season, against Alabama and Kansas. But Saturday's Week 6 game against the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners (5-0) could pose the toughest challenge for the Longhorns so far.

Oklahoma and Texas have each won 33 games in the Red River Rivalry since 1955, with three games in the series also ending in a tie during that span. Saturday's edition of the rivalry will mark the final time it is played while Texas and Oklahoma are part of the Big 12 Conference. Both schools are darting to the SEC ahead of next football season. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian believes Ewers will be at his best on this big stage.

"I think that I'd much rather have the quarterback that can perform really well when the lights are shining the brightest than the other way around," Sarkisian said this week. "And so I'm appreciative of that, that he definitely shows up in these games."

Texas and Oklahoma face off at noon ET Saturday at the Cotton Bowl. Before kickoff, here are five things to know about Ewers.

Saw First Scholarship Offer in Sixth Grade

The hype for Ewers has been building for a long time.

Ewers picked up his first scholarship offer when he was in middle school. As a sixth-grader, former North Texas offensive coordinator and QB coach Graham Harrell offered Ewers a scholarship during a camp, according to Rivals. Big-name schools, including Michigan and Ohio State, offered one before he started his first varsity game. Harrell, it turns out, was right to see something in Ewers from a young age.

Ewers was the No. 1 football prospect nationally in his class, according to 247Sports and Rivals, during his time playing quarterback at Southlake Carroll High School in North Texas. Oklahoma, LSU and Georgia were then among the dozens of schools to offer Ewers a scholarship.

Started College Football Career At Ohio State

The five-star recruit from Southlake, Texas, initially committed to Texas before flipping to Ohio State in November 2020. Ewers reclassified to the high school class of 2021—in part to start profiting off of his name, image and likeness—and enrolled at Ohio State in August 2021.

Ewers redshirted that season in Columbus, sitting behind eventual Heisman Trophy finalist and No. 2 overall draft pick C.J. Stroud. Ewers took only a handful of snaps during his redshirt season and entered the NCAA transfer portal in December 2021. Ewers cited a desire to move closer to home. The 6-foot-2 QB reportedly had his sights on three possible destinations: Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M.

Of course, Ewers ended up committing to play in Austin.

"I grew up always watching the Longhorns play, wanting to be in that burnt orange," Ewers said at the time. "There was a little obstacle in between, but I ended up here and I'm very thankful for all the opportunities God has given me ... I'm just excited to be back in [my] home state.

"Coach [Sarkisian] once told me, 'That's why the rearview mirror is so small and the windshield is so big.' You kind of put the past behind you and focus on what's ahead, and I'm super excited about what's ahead, for sure."

Handed Oklahoma Bad Loss Last Year

Ewers was named starting quarterback for Texas in 2022, his first season with the program.

He missed time with a shoulder injury but still played in and started 10 games. Ewers was named honorable mention Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year by the league's coaches after throwing for 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns. The most productive day of Ewers' first season in Austin came in his Red River Rivalry debut.

Texas beat Oklahoma, 49-0, last season. It was the largest margin of victory for Texas in the history of the series. Ewers threw for 289 yards and a career-high four touchdowns while leading the Longhorns to the program's highest-ever point total against the Sooners. Last year's game marked the first time the Longhorns had shut out the Sooners since 1965.

Ewers played high school football about 30 miles from the Cotton Bowl and dreamed of playing in the Red River Rivalry. The once-mulleted quarterback saw his dreams come true, and then some, in his first matchup with Oklahoma.

"I know all these guys were pretty excited, but growing up a fan, I always wanted to play in this one," Ewers said after the game. "So it's pretty special."

The Longhorns lead the all-time series against the Sooners, 63-50-5.

Ewers No Longer Rocking a Mullet

To some college football fans, Ewers may have been best known last season for his mullet.

The same can't be said this year. Ewers underwent a body transformation over the summer, telling The Athletic he lost close to 20 pounds and put on muscle by, among other things, cutting out fast food and improving his eating habits. Apparently, part of Ewers' transformation was getting a haircut. The 20-year-old is going with a shorter style this season instead of his signature look.

Ewers told The Athletic that he was tired of the mullet and ready for it to go. The Heisman Trophy contender also told local reporters that the Texas heat made having a mullet a bit uncomfortable. Texas tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders noticed an attitude change from Ewers after his haircut.

"His whole demeanor changed after he cut that mullet," Sanders said of Ewers' new look. "I don't know what it was about that mullet. Whatever he did after cutting that mullet, it's like a whole new person. He went from a kid to an adult, and it shows."

On Manning List While Starting Over a Manning

Ahead of the 2023 season, Ewers was named to the Manning Award Watch List, indicating his status among the elite QBs in college football.

The announcement also came with some irony. Arch Manning, nephew to Peyton and Eli Manning and grandson of Archie Manning, is also a quarterback on the Texas football team. Arch Manning is in his first year with the Longhorns after being the No. 1 QB recruit in the nation. The freshman competed for the starting QB job in the offseason, a battle Ewers eventually won.

So to recap: Ewers is on the Manning Watch List while starting over a Manning. Got it.