What Texas is getting in Quinn Ewers

The Texas Longhorns were the talk of the college football world today after the nation’s top quarterback prospect in Quinn Ewers announced his intentions to bring his talent to Austin.

Ewers is not only five star recruit, but he is the top overall prospect nationally for the 2022 recruiting class and it is easy to see when you flip the tape on. This commitment is huge of several fronts, but most importantly it is huge for the long term future for the Longhorn football program. Having Ewers in the boat will not only pay dividends on the field down the road, but it will also be beneficial on the recruiting trail in the near term.

It was clear immediately that Ewers’ commitment to Texas turned quite a few heads based on how many recruits took to Twitter reacting to the news.

A player of Ewer’s caliber will certainly have some sway in recruiting, but how much will ultimately be up to the Longhorn staff and the team on campus. The combination of the a successful season (if there is one) and landing Ewers could be a huge multiplier and put the Longhorns in an enviable position moving forward into 2022 and beyond.

From an evaluation standpoint, Ewers is an incredibly fun watch and it is easy to see why he is ranked where he is and why he had every major program beating down his door. It doesn’t take a trained eye to see what makes him special, but I am going to give my breakdown so fans have an idea of what they are getting in Ewers.

SPOILER ALERT: He’s a stud.

Analysis:

Ewers already possesses good measurables, as he comes in at 6’3, 195 with an athletic frame that will continue to fill out. The physical attributes will never be in question for this kid, as he displays a good arm and good athleticism that show up on tape consistently. Despite only being a sophomore, Ewers always looks cool, calm, and in control. Pre-snap he is able to scan the defense and see what it is giving him to work with and once the ball is snapped, he processes things quickly and is able to get the ball out in a hurry.

Displays good, repeatable mechanics as a passer and shows a lot of comfort working from the pocket. Consistently keeps his eyes down the field even when rushers are closing in on him or when the pocket gets muddied. Has the arm strength to threaten every level of the defenses and shows the ability to dial up the RPMs when making throws from the hash to the numbers. Shows good poise against the blitz and will step into the rush to deliver passes when he knows there will be contact. When forced to throw off platform he shows he still has plenty of arm strength to get the ball to his receivers. Arm strength flashes when he makes throws without being able to step into the throw and when he is moving East/West outside the pocket. Displays the ability to switch arm angles to make throws when necessary. He is not on Patrick Mahomes’ level in that regard, but he definitely has the tool in his back pocket. Displays very good anticipation on timing routes throws with really good touch. Will throw the ball to space or a spot before his receiver has come out of his break or is looking back for the ball and will deliver a strike. Throws a very catchable ball and shows good ball placement. Will often put his receiver in a position to be able to run after the catch with his ball placement. Will gamble at times when it comes to putting balls into tight coverage, but with his arm and zip he can put on passes he can get away with it.

Often operates from a clean pocket and plays behind a good, well coached offensive line so I watched how he performed against top tier opponents like Duncanville and DeSoto and I was not disappointed. Ewers’ game rises right along with the competition he faces, so if you were thinking there would be a drop off there was not. Ewers was up against multiple FBS caliber defenders on both defenses and while he was under more fire than usual, he continued show off what makes him a highly regarded prospect. This speaks a lot to his competitive toughness as a player and bodes very well for his development moving forward to the next level.

When things break down and he must run or when designed on quarterback runs, Ewers displays solid straight-line speed and good quickness to make defenders miss in space. Shows the ability to hurt defenses with his feet if left unaccounted for and shows solid long speed when he hits the open field. Needs to do a better job of protecting himself when he decides to run and when finishing off his runs. Leaves himself open at times for contact and that can become an issue if not checked.

Ewers possesses incredible production playing at the highest high school football classification in the state of Texas. Ended the year with an astonishing 45/3 touchdown to interception ratio as a passer and completed north of 70% of his passes. Also averaged over six yards per carry as a rusher and found the end zone nine more times on the ground. Kept having to remind myself as I was watching his tape that he was only a sophomore so I could keep what I was seeing in context. This kid plays the game an extremely high level and still has two years before he is hitting a college campus. The obvious question at this point is what is he going to do for an encore after the monster sophomore year he just had? When I see guys this good so early I worry about them peaking too early, but there is still plenty of room for growth for Ewers both physically and technically and that should frighten defensive coordinators who have his team on the schedule.

(H/T to Charles Power of 247Sports for the clips embedded above)