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The past week served as a Texas Longhorn quarterback reality check.
It was the first time in three seasons that No. 3 was not in the backfield. Quinn Ewers officially transferred from Ohio State to Texas in January 2022. Before that season, he was forced to “battle” against Hudson Card for the job. Ewers won that battle and never looked back (Card transferred to Purdue). He led Texas to a Big 12 Championship, an SEC Championship Game appearance, two College Football Playoff semifinal appearances, and a 25-5 record over the past two seasons. As a result of his college football success, Ewers met with the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New Orleans the night before Texas held Pro Day on Tuesday. He met with the Miami Dolphins after Pro Day and is currently scheduled to visit/work out for the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, and Indianapolis Colts.
A few hours earlier, the Longhorns officially kicked off spring football practice. No. 3 was replaced by No. 16. All eyes were on Arch Manning, the quarterback expected to take Texas to another level this season. Manning made every throw during the portion of practice media members were allowed to watch. He showed confidence and poise, which is what you would expect from a quarterback who started in two games last season. Manning is “The Future” at the quarterback position.
Manning and Ewers were like two ships passing in the night last week but have one common port—they were both previously ranked as 5-star quarterbacks. It is an elite club that is supposed to guarantee college football success and lead to the NFL Draft. Sure, there are exceptions, and not every 5-star quarterback will become a Heisman Trophy winner. However, there is a reason why quarterbacks in that club are coveted.
Longhorn fans can bank on the success of 5-star QBs.
Now, the upcoming NFL Draft is a reminder that college coaches are not perfect. Sure, I could blame the websites that rank players, but college football programs have more resources to “get it right.”
That has always been my philosophy regarding ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. Does he occasionally misevaluate players?
Yes.
Am I going to hold him more accountable than the NFL teams that invest millions of dollars in their scouting departments and still get it wrong?
No.
Here are the previous Rivals rankings for the top two quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft:
Shedeur Sanders (2021) – 3-star, 5.6 rating
Cam Ward (2020) – Not ranked (Incarnate Word was his only offer)
Here are the other notable players:
Jaxson Dart (2021) – 4-star, 5.9 rating
Tyler Shough (2018) – 4-star, 5.9 rating (He is 25 years old)
As we take a look at the historical success of 5-star quarterbacks, Texas is already winning with Manning.
Rivals awarded the 5-star label to five quarterbacks in the 2023 class. Three of those quarterbacks have transferred from their original schools.
2023
Arch Manning, Pro, Texas
College: He has appeared in 12 games (two starts) over the past two seasons. Manning will take over as the No. 1 quarterback this season.
NFL: N/A
Nico Iamaleava, Pro, Tennessee
College: According to his bio, "Became the first Tennessee true or redshirt freshman quarterback in program history to lead the Vols to 10 regular-season wins, doing so in his first year as a starter … Became the first UT quarterback overall to win 10 games as a starter since senior Casey Clausen in 2003."
NFL: N/A
Dante Moore, Pro, Oregon
College: Originally committed to and attended UCLA before transferring to Oregon before the 2024 season. He was a backup last season.
NFL: N/A
Malachi Nelson, Pro, UTEP
College: Originally committed to USC, transferred to Boise State after one season, and transferred to UTEP in January.
NFL: N/A
Jackson Arnold, Pro, Auburn
College: Originally committed to Oklahoma and was benched last season. Arnold transferred to Auburn after the 2024 regular season.
NFL: N/A
2022
Cade Klubnik, Pro, Clemson
College: According to his bio, "Energetic leader who enters 2025 having completed 659-of-1,040 career passes for 7,180 yards with 57 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in 2,137 career snaps over 37 games (28 starts) ... also rushed for 784 yards and 13 touchdowns on 286 rushing attempts and caught a 19-yard pass over his first three seasons ... will enter his senior campaign ranking in the top five in Clemson history in nearly every passing category, including passing touchdowns (fourth), passing yards (fourth), passing attempts (fourth) and completions (fifth)."
NFL: He has a chance to be the first quarterback selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Walker Howard, Pro, Louisiana
College: Originally committed to LSU before transferring to Ole Miss after one season. After two seasons, Howard transferred to Louisiana in December 2024.
NFL: N/A
******
There were 37 players listed as 5-star quarterbacks from the 2006 to 2021 class (including Ewers - his draft selection will improve these numbers).
Total Drafted QBs: 23 out of 37 (62.2%)
Undrafted QBs: 14 out of 37 (37.8%)
1st-Round Picks: 11 out of 37 (29.7%)
Here are those players.
2021
Quinn Ewers, Pro, Texas
College: Led Texas to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. He is the program’s best quarterback since Colt McCoy.
NFL: Ewers has a chance to be a Day Two pick in the NFL Draft.
Caleb Williams, Dual, Oklahoma
College: Started at Oklahoma before transferring to USC after Lincoln Riley took over the Trojans.
NFL: First-round pick by Chicago (No. 1 overall) in 2024.
Sam Huard, Pro, USC
College: He originally committed to Washington, transferred to Cal Poly in 2023, transferred to Utah in 2024, and transferred to USC in January.
NFL: N/A
Brock Vandagriff, Pro, Kentucky
College: Sparingly played at Georgia before transferring to Kentucky. Vandagriff announced he was walking away from football after last season, despite having one more year of eligibility.
NFL: N/A
2020
Bryce Young, Dual, Alabama
College: Set the Alabama single-season marks for passing yards (4,872) and touchdowns (47) and won the Heisman Trophy in 2021.
NFL: First-round pick by Carolina (No.1 overall) in 2023.
D.J. Uiagalele, Pro, FSU
College: He originally committed to Clemson before transferring to Oregon State for the 2023 season. He transferred to FSU for the 2024 season.
NFL: He was not drafted.
Harrison Bailey, Pro, Tennessee
College: Saw playing time in 2020 and eventually lost the job to JT Shrout. Bailey transferred to UNLV for the 2021 season, transferred to UNLV for the 2022 season, transferred to Louisville for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and transferred to Florida in 2025.
NFL: N/A
2019
Spencer Rattler, Dual, South Carolina
College: Transferred from Oklahoma to South Carolina after getting benched for Caleb Williams.
NFL: He was a fifth-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2024.
Bo Nix, Pro, Oregon
College: Was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2019 and spent three seasons as Auburn's starter. Transferred to Oregon and finished his college career on a high note.
NFL: First-round pick by Denver (12th overall) in 2024.
2018
Trevor Lawrence, Pro, Clemson
College: Led Clemson to a national title as a true freshman and was 34-2 as a starter; finished second in the Heisman voting (Alabama's DeVonta Smith won).
NFL: First-round pick by Jacksonville in 2021.
Justin Fields, Dual, Georgia
College: Led Ohio State to a 20-2 record and to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances.
NFL: First-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 2021
JT Daniels, Pro, USC
College: Completed 241-of-397 passes (60.7%) for 2,887 yards and 15 TDs with 11 interceptions while starting all 12 games in which he has appeared in his career. He is currently in the transfer portal.
NFL: N/A
2017
David Mills, Pro, Stanford
College: Started each of the final five games after missing the season opener due to COVID-19 testing protocol errors in 2020, according to his bio. Mills finished the season 129-of-195 (66.2%) for 1,508 yards and seven passing touchdowns.
NFL: Third-round pick by Houston in 2021.
Hunter Johnson, Pro, Clemson
College: Played one season at Clemson before transferring to Northwestern. He transferred back to Clemson in 2022.
NFL: Undrafted
Jake Fromm, Pro, Georgia
College: Compiled 8,224 career passing yards (ranked fourth on UGA’s all-time list) and 78 career TD passes (second on the school’s all-time list).
NFL: Fifth-round pick by Buffalo in 2020.
Kellen Mond, Dual, Texas A&M
College: Holds the all-time program records for career passing TDs (71), passing yards (9,661), completions (801), attempts (1,358), and total offense (11,269)
NFL: Third-round selection by Minnesota in 2021.
2016
Shea Patterson, Dual, Mississippi
College: Started in 10 games at Mississippi before transferring to Michigan. Started in the 2018 and 2019 seasons for Michigan.
NFL: Signed by Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in 2020; played in the CFL last season.
Jacob Eason, Pro, Georgia
College: Started as a freshman at Georgia but sustained a knee injury in the 2017 season and lost his job to Fromm. Eason eventually transferred to Washington. Finished the 2019 season with 3,132 passing yards, the fourth-highest total in UW single-season history, and Eason’s 23 touchdown passes were sixth-most in school history, according to his bio.
NFL: Fourth-round pick by Indianapolis in 2020.
2015
Josh Rosen, Pro, UCLA
College: Started in 30 games during a three-year time span. Finished 9,340 passing yards, 59 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions.
NFL: First-round pick by Arizona in 2018; he has been on five teams in 2021.
2014
Kyle Allen, Pro, Texas A&M
College: Transferred from A&M to Houston after two seasons.
NFL: Entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2020; spent two years with Carolina and the past two with Washington.
2013
Max Browne, Pro, USC
College: Rivals named Brown one of the biggest busts from the past decade: “Max Browne had all the makings of the next superstar quarterback at USC. He threw for nearly 13,000 yards and 146 touchdowns in high school, he won two state championships, and so he was ranked as the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the 2013 class and seventh overall, well ahead of Jared Goff. He picked USC over Oklahoma, Alabama, Washington and others and that’s where the problems started.
“There was coaching turmoil from Lane Kiffin to Steve Sarkisian and then a crowded depth chart with Max Wittek and Cody Kessler ahead of him. Once it was Browne’s turn, Sam Darnold came along and took away the starting job after Browne’s slow start.
“He transferred to Pitt but Browne was not much better there and a shoulder injury sidelined him for the remainder of that season. The former five-star threw 247 college passes, more than half of them in one season at Pitt.”
NFL: According to The Seattle Times, “For 15 months, Browne rehabbed a torn labrum on his throwing shoulder — before eventually participating in NFL tryouts with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Football Team. But he couldn’t be the same quarterback, so he called it quits.”
Christian Hackenberg, Pro, Penn State
College: Started all 38 career games under center...Finished his career as Penn State leader in career 300-yard passing games (9), 200-yard passing games (21), passing yards (8,457), attempts (1,235), completions (693), passing touchdowns (48), and total offense (8,215), according to his bio.
NFL: Second-round pick by the New York Jets in 2016.
2012
Jameis Winston, Dual, FSU
College: Heisman Trophy winner in 2013.
NFL: First-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2015; recently signed with the New York Giants.
No. 20 Gunner Kiel, Pro, Notre Dame
College: Spent one season at Notre Dame before transferring to Cincinnati. Completed 206 of 316 passes for 2,777 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2015 and was plagued with injuries.
NFL: N/A
2011
N/A
2010
N/A
2009
Matt Barkley, Pro, USC
College: Finished third on USC's career passing (755 completions) and total offense (9,013 yards) lists, behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart.
NFL: Fourth-round pick by Philadelphia in 2013.
Russell Shepard, Dual, LSU
College: Played quarterback, running back, and receiver at LSU.
NFL: Entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and was a receiver from 2013 to 2019.
Garrett Gilbert, Pro, Texas
College: You already know this one
NFL: Sixth-round pick by St. Louis in 2014; spent last season in Washington.
2008
Terrelle Pryor, Dual, Ohio State
College: Finished with a 31-4 record and was a highly successful college quarterback.
NFL: Third-round pick by Oakland in the 2011 Supplemental Draft.
Blaine Gabbert, Pro, Missouri
College: Finished with 6,822 passing yards and 40 touchdowns.
NFL: First-round pick by Jacksonville in 2011.
Dayne Crist, Pro, Notre Dame
College: Spent four seasons at Notre Dame before transferring to Kansas. He started in seven games during the 2012 season at Kansas.
NFL: N/A
2007
Jimmy Clausen, Pro, Notre Dame
College: Finished with 8,148 yards, 60 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions in three seasons.
NFL: Second-round pick by Carolina in 2010.
Ryan Mallett, Pro, Michigan
College: Played at Michigan for one season before transferring to Arkansas. According to ArkansasOnline, “Mallett was 18-8 as the starting quarterback at Arkansas. He ranks second in career passing yardage with 7,493 yards behind Tyler Wilson (7,765) despite playing just two seasons, and second in career touchdown passes with 62 behind Brandon Allen (64). He had four 400-yard passing games.”
NFL: Third-round pick by New England in 2011.
Tyrod Taylor, Dual, Virginia Tech
College: Finished with 7,017 passing yards, 44 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions.
NFL: Sixth-round pick by Baltimore in 2011.
Cam Newton, Dual, Florida
College: Won a Heisman Trophy and led Auburn to a national championship
NFL: First-round pick by Carolina in 2011.
2006
Matthew Stafford, Pro, Georgia
College: Finished with 7,731 yards, 51 touchdowns, and 33 interceptions
NFL: First-round pick by Detroit in 2009; recently won a Super Bowl
Mitch Mustain, Pro, Arkansas
College: Spent one season at Arkansas before transferring to USC; played sparingly throughout his career. Mustain was named the biggest bust of the 2000 decade in a 2011 article.
NFL: N/A
Tim Tebow, Dual, Florida
College: Won a Heisman Trophy and won two national titles (2006 and 2008).
NFL: First-round pick by Denver in 2010.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
Every parent of a youth athlete will agree
No lies detected in this death blow for soccer haters
Hopefully, he gets released on Sunday
No bear will fear his ability to shoot this 500 S&W Magnum
Not funny … I simply love her little brother’s energy!
Sports On A Dime
1. Texas women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer on advancing to the Elite 8: “ I think it's the hardest game to win. Before I get to that, that's some great kids, y'all. Like we are so blessed at Texas to have some absolute wonderful young ladies. Those kids, man, they played their heart out tonight.
“The answer to your question, it's a difficult game to win. I been in it a bunch. The way we play, and we didn't even really press that much tonight. Obviously they did. We've got a day to kind of recover a little bit and get ready.
“But, you know, that game as we all know there is so much on the line. But you've gotta just go play. You've gotta relax, you've gotta go play, it's another game. We all know what the ramifications are, but at the end of the day, you know, it's a game where you're going against somebody, usually it's in the top 10 in the country, and they've got great players and you're going to have to execute.
“So TCU is no different. We could have met in Corsicana and saved money playing 'em, but nonetheless, I think it's great for our state. Coach has done a great job with them and that program. They've got really good players. I watched them play Louisville and they made three after three after three. It's another team that we're going to have to do a really good job of getting out and guarding. But that game is very difficult and you gotta have kids that can just kinda block out all the distractions and everything around 'em and just go play the game.”
2. Schaefer on playing in the SEC: “ Well, I mean, it's a nightmare. That's all I can tell you. I have to live it for two months, two and a half months. It's the worst two and a half months of my life, every year. There's just so many good teams, so well coached and so many great players. For us to meet them in the Sweet 16, just, again, it says a lot about our league.
“As I told Coach, she's done an unbelievable job with that program in such a short period of time. A lot of people think what she would do or how she is doing it was going to work. I think she has shown them they ain't right. What they do and how they do it is very effective.
“Again, getting kids to buy into a system, you know, she's done it so fast. A lot of credit has to go to her and how they play and the problems that they can create. We had a few more turnovers today -- well, only two more than we had the first time but it seemed like we had more trouble in the backcourt than we did the first time.
“But, you know, our league is a monster. There is just no way to -- no other way to describe it. I mean, it's just a nightmare of a league. Anybody in this league -- you know that's the thing, y'all. You go to the NCAA Tournament and you think, oh, thank goodness, we can see somebody else. No, I get to play two games and then all of the sudden I gotta play Tennessee. Give me a break!
3. Madison Booker on handling Tennessee’s constant substitutions: “Yeah, I think that's when we lean on each other more than anything, because they're subbing in so much, it's just like, dang! Basically like who is in now? But, no, I think that our coaches really prepared us. And I think also the number one thing with kind of containing them while they're subbing in so much is knowing the personnel, knowing who can shoot, who can do what. We talked about it so well, like we talked on the court about who can shoot while they're playing.
“So just knowing personnel, our communication and leaning on each other, it really got us through the game.”
4. I was told Texas safety Jelani McDonald stood out during the first week of spring practice. Keep an eye on McDonald during the offseason.
5. ESPN ranked the Top 15 quarterbacks in college football this past week. Arch Manning was ranked No. 12.
Who was No.1?
1. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Vitals: Senior, 6-foot-2, 210 pounds
2024 stats: 3,639 passing yards, 36 TDs, 6 INTs, 63.4% completions, 463 rushing yards, 7 rushing TDs
Why he's ranked: Along with Allar, Klubnik enters the fall with a ton of key boxes checked, including his first CFP appearance at Clemson. His dramatic improvement last fall went a bit under the radar nationally after a season-opening loss to Georgia and an early November loss to Louisville, but Klubnik's numbers really pop. He had 17 more touchdown passes than the 2023 season, cut his interceptions total by three despite 32 more pass attempts, and again connected on more than 63% of his attempts. He had eight games with more than 250 passing yards, while reaching 30 yards in nine games. Klubnik recorded the second-highest passing touchdowns total in team history, and will be working with coordinator Garrett Riley for the third straight season.
What they're saying: ACC coaches clearly respect Klubnik, who led Clemson to a somewhat surprising conference title last fall and guided a much-improved overall offense.
"He's got a ton of experience, so I think he'll do an excellent job," an ACC coach said. "Just like any quarterback, he's been through the struggles, the ups and downs. I thought he finished well and played well for the most part. He's got a good team around him."
Another ACC coach acknowledged that Klubnik is "the best right now" in the conference, and another described him as "a gritty, tough kid."
"He's played a lot," one coach said. "I don't know if he's an NFL guy, or a first- and second-rounder. But he's gotten a lot better decision-making-wise."
"He's one of the most improved passers in the country," an ACC defensive coordinator added. "I know he was gritty, a competitor, but the passing really got better last year
6. Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State would be fun to watch in a spring game. However, if Texas had to choose a non-contact spring game opponent, which team would make the most sense?
7. What the heck is wrong with Georgia football players?
8. We did not see a Cinderella in men’s basketball this season. However, we could see a power shift to mid-major schools that could affect Power 4 programs.
Here is a portion of an interesting story by Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger:
“As the college athletics industry sits on the brink of historic change — schools can share revenue directly with athletes starting this summer — an unexpected spending disparity looms as a byproduct of the new revenue-sharing rules. Mid-major programs — operating without having to invest in a power conference football team — are expected to, in some cases, outspend their football-focused big brothers in men’s basketball.
“The spending issue looms as a serious enough threat that it has emerged as a critical discussion point and agenda item within power league administrative meetings in the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 — something SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and other high-ranking officials acknowledged this month in interviews with Yahoo Sports.
“As the NCAA tournament’s second weekend arrives, the potential spending disparity is at the forefront of many minds.
“People have raised the issue with me and they are raising it more frequently right now,” Sankey said last week. “It’s something we are having conversations about at every meeting. I’m confident in our schools’ ability to compete, but it does raise a set of questions.”
"Under college sports’ new revenue-sharing rules, schools will be permitted to distribute a pool of revenue to athletes up to an annual, escalating cap ($20.5 million in Year 1). Power league programs are gearing up to spend the majority of that revenue pool allotment — as much as $13 million to $16 million — on their revenue-generating giant of football, a move to remain competitive in the industry’s self-proclaimed “cash cow.”
"For most power programs, that leaves roughly $2 million to $4 million to be directly shared with men’s basketball.
"But for those fellow Division I schools without a football program, or one that competes in FCS or even at the Group of Six level, flexibility exists to heavily invest in a singular sport with the goal of qualifying and winning one of America’s most popular events: the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
“Big East schools next year can pay $6 million or more to their basketball team,” said Houston athletic director Eddie Nunez, “and that’s a game-changer.”
9. Former Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller putting a dagger in the New York Knicks is the only ending that comes close to the Chicago Bulls and L.A. Lakers this past week. I give Indiana’s finish the nod since it was a playoff game.
10. Austin FC stole a win from San Diego FC 2-1 last Sunday afternoon, ending its opponent’s perfect road record and unbeaten start to the season. Fingers crossed for a victory against St. Louis on Sunday.
