QB Quinn Ewers Is Now the Longhorns' Team Leader

© Ricardo B. Brazziell-American-Statesman/USA TODAY NETWORK

Texas Longhorns players will look to starting quarterback Quinn Ewers for leadership this season. Ewers appears ready to fulfill that role, entering the team’s first season in the Southeastern Conference.

Ewers is beginning his third season as the Longhorns’ signal caller. He’s amassed 5,656 total career passing yards in 22 games. That total puts him in eighth place all-time among quarterbacks in Texas Longhorns' history.

Longhorns QB Welcomes Role

Those are pretty impressive statistics, yet it’s the combination of what Ewers provides on and off the field that his teammates are watching.

"At the quarterback position, I really don't have a choice to be a leader of this team," Ewers said on Aug. 13, according to Inside Texas. "Those are the shoes that I have to wear. I had to learn that. For sure, it didn't come easy for me at first. I had to learn ways to get to my teammates and find ways to fire them up and figure out what makes them tick. I think that's been the biggest thing for me: the relationships that I've built that have helped me become a better leader for the team."

Last season, the Ohio State transfer started all 12 games and totaled 3,749 passing yards. That's good enough for ranking fifth-best in Texas history. Ewers had 22 touchdown passes while throwing only 6 interceptions. He also showed off his running ability in 2023, amassing 59 carries for 75 yards and 5 touchdowns. 

For his part, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is happy with the way Ewers interacts with both young and veteran players. "I think naturally Quinn’s understanding schematically of what we're doing is helpful because he's almost an extension of us on the field," Sarkisian said on Aug. 12. The coach elaborated: "He can talk through things with players, a receiver[,] based on a coverage—how he would like it to go and where a guy should be and in what spot. That just goes back to Quinn’s leadership and his maturation. Not the player, but the person."

Ewers has flexed his leadership muscles so far in fall practice. He’s also been working on his own skills and technique in leading the Longhorns’ offense. But Ewers has unfortunately seen two important players go down with season-ending injuries.

Ewers Supports Teammates

Running backs CJ Baxter and Christian Clark suffered knee injuries while scrimmaging in Austin, Texas. They face surgeries and long recovery periods. 

Trying to fit in some fill-ins at running back is becoming a taxing problem for the Longhorns. Yet Sarkisian does trust in his players. Ewers has his teammates’ backs, too.

"The team definitely needs that positivity every now and then whenever guys like that go down in that room," Ewers said. "At the end of the day, I think we've got guys that are more than capable of stepping in and filling up those roles."

While his focus is on this season, Texas fans can look back and feel good about Ewers' post-regular season play. Ewers went 35-for-46 for 452 yards and 4 touchdowns in beating Oklahoma State for the Big 12 Championship last season. He followed that up with a 318-yard, 1-touchdown effort against Washington in losing the College Football Playoff semifinal.

So, Ewers has shown his ability to lead Texas as its quarterback. Sarkisian and the Longhorns’ coaching staff hope the proficiency and leadership continue into this season.

Come back to College Football Dawgs throughout the season for more Texas Longhorns football coverage.