Ewers makes it official, will return for junior season at UT
Quinn Ewers made it official: he's returning for a third season at Texas.
The Longhorns' starting quarterback announced Thursday via social media that he will return for his junior season.
Under Ewers, Texas won the Big 12 title in 2023 and made the College Football Playoff for the first time. He also led the Longhorns to a signature 34-24 win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Texas' 2023 season came to an end on New Year's Day in a 37-31 Sugar Bowl loss to Washington in the CFP semifinal. Ewers completed 24 of 43 passes for 318 yards and a touchdown against Washington but the Longhorns weren't able to score in the final seconds from inside the Washington 15.
Ewers finished his second year at Texas with 3,479 yards, 22 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and a 69% completion rate. Ewers made significant improvements in 2023, throwing for 1,302 more yards and seven more touchdowns than he did in 2022. He also had five rushing touchdowns in 2023, compared to just one in 2022.
“I want to be the quarterback who worked every year to get better,” Ewers said to ESPN'S Pete Thamel. “The quarterback who loved his teammates, the quarterback who won a lot of football games and brought Texas football back to the top of college football where it belongs.”
While Ewers' return is a major boost for the Longhorns, other offensive pieces will look quite different.
Three of Texas' leading wide receivers are gone. Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell declared early for the draft and Jordan Whittington graduated. Tight end Ja'tavion Sanders and star running back Jonathon Brooks also opted early for the draft. However, the Longhorns added receiver Matthew Golden from UH in the transfer portal and signed receiver
Ryan Wingo, a five-star prospect.
Ewers' return will create an interesting quarterback dynamic for the Longhorns. Arch Manning, the nation's top class of 2023 recruit who played in two games last season, is waiting in the wings. Manning, the grandson of longtime NFL QB Archie Manning and the nephews of Super Bowl-winning QBS Peyton and Eli, served as the No. 3 QB in 2023 behind Ewers and Maalik Murphy, who led Texas to two wins when Ewers was injured but has since transferred to Duke. Since he played fewer than four games, Manning likely will use a redshirt for 2023 and have four years of eligibility left.
Trey Owens signed in December and could potentially act as third-string quarterback.
Christina Huang and Greg Rajan
ESPN apologizes for sports Emmys scam
ESPN has apologized to the organization that administers the Sports Emmy Awards for submitting fake names in categories where they were not eligible to win.
“Some members of our team were clearly wrong in submitting certain names that may go back to 1997 in Emmy categories
where they were not eligible for recognition or statuettes," the network said in a statement Thursday.
The Emmy scam was first revealed by The Athletic, which reported that ESPN personalities like Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Desmond Howard on “College Gameday” were given awards they were not entitled to. There was no evidence, the report said, that any on-air winners knew what happened.
Odds and ends
Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., the Biletnikoff Award winner this past season for the best receiver in college football, declared for the NFL draft on his Instagram page on Thursday. He is regarded as one of the top picks of the draft. … Oregon coach Dan Lanning, who had been mentioned as a potential target for Alabama's coaching vacancy after Saban's retirement, says he will remain with the Ducks, according to ESPN. Lanning, 37, is 22-5 in two seasons with the Ducks, who will join the Big Ten starting in the 2024 season. … Arizona safety Isaiah Taylor, son of NFL Hall of Famer and Miami assistant Jason Taylor, will transfer to the Hurricanes.