‘A pretty cool customer’: QB Quinn Ewers brings plenty of hype to Texas
Texas quarterback Hudson Card could have broken his phone, camped in the forest and stiff-armed all direct human contact the past two months. Chances are he'd still be well aware of Quinn Ewers' arrival.
Hype trains move at supersonic speeds whenever it involves the Longhorns.
Local, state and national media along with the 100,000 coaches in the stands simply can't help themselves.
Everybody loves the next hot thing — especially at quarterback. But is he any good? Shoulder shrug emoji goes here.
Is Texas coach Steve Sarkisian worried that the narrative is already being established that Ewers is the program's savior?
“No, I'm not at all, because that's what you guys say," Sarkisian said after a recent spring practice. "That's not what we say. You guys write that. We don't say that.
“We say focus on what you need to focus on and continue to work on the things that you need to work on. We're a highly competitive program. And the best guy that gives our team the best chance to be successful will play.”
Texas had 14 new players on the Royal-memorial Stadium turf when practice began Tuesday. But for now, the spotlight falls on only two — Card and Ewers.
If Texas can't find a successful triggerman, Sarkisian's offense and all the talent Texas has accumulated on offense won't mean much. This job isn't for everybody. Last year's starter, Casey Thompson, transferred to Nebraska.
Card has been on campus for two years; Ewers has been there two months. As for practice repetitions, Sarkisian said: “We've been rotating those guys pretty fairly, and we probably will here throughout spring.”
Multiple reporters have asked about Ewers, the Ohio State transfer. As a fivestar recruit, he was supposed to be a freshman going into the 2022 season. But Ewers reclassified his eligibility, went to Ohio State one season early and got buried on the depth chart.
It was easy for Buckeyes fans to shrug about Ewers' transfer. Redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud won Big Ten offensive player of the year honors in 2021 as Ewers watched from the sideline.
“I think he's doing fine,” Sarkisian said of Ewers.
Nobody asked about Card, and Sarkisian didn't go in-depth about him, either.
Given a chance last season against Kansas, Card had a critical fumble and a pick-six that fueled a demoralizing 5756 overtime loss. In another era, Card's mistakes could be chalked up to a redshirt freshman's growing pains. Not today, though. Sarkisian knows he's on the clock, and Texas must start building momentum as they prepare for the SEC.
Thus, Texas made a full-court press to get Ewers to Austin.
“Quinn, he's a pretty cool customer,” Sarkisian said. “I don't think he's a very anxious guy. He's not a too-cool-forschool kind of guy. I think he loves football. I think he loves being on a team, being on this team, and being around guys that he's comfortable with.
Sarkisian said Ewers has mentioned to the coach how comfortable he feels in the locker room.
“I don't feel like this is a guy pressing to try to become the man here,” Sarkisian added. “Whether he's running with the (second team) or the (first team), he's just putting in the work.”