Adam Loewy is one of the top personal injury lawyers in Austin. Adam is a proud graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and started his law firm in 2005. Adam helps people who have been injured in car crashes, slip and falls, dog bites, and other assorted ways. He is actively involved in every case he handles and is always available to talk or text. If you or a loved one has been injured, call the Loewy Law Firm today at (512) 280-0800.
This is one of those Sundays when I have so many thoughts about the Texas Longhorn football program that it is hard to focus on one topic. We watched the NFL Draft this past week, monitored the transfer portal, and spring football concluded on Saturday.
Everyone on Orangebloods reads Ketch’s 10 Thoughts From The Weekend. I pride myself on being original, so I will not technically steal his column title. Instead, let’s call it “Anwar’s Unnumbered Thoughts On Sunday.”
Let’s talk about it.
Quinn Ewers
We are going to discuss/debate Ewers' legacy from now until the day we are sitting in our rocking chairs and waiting for the kids to get off their phones and blow on our hot soup.
There is no need to spin it – Ewers getting drafted in the seventh round was a huge disappointment. There is nobody close to the situation who thought Ewers would fall that far. Trust me, if anyone thought Ewers would have been the 14th quarterback selected (7th round, No. 231 overall), behind Montana State’s Tommy Mellott (6th round, No. 213 overall) and North Dakota State's Cam Miller (6th round, No. 215 overall), they would have reconsidered transferring to another program instead of entering the NFL Draft. If anyone told you Ewers would be drafted lower than Sam Ehlinger (6th round, No. 218th overall) when he stepped on campus, nobody would have listened.
In hindsight, every recruiting evaluator – writers and college coaches – ranked Ewers too high in high school. Everyone loves to brag about their hits while skimming over their misses. If the No. 1 overall prospect in a high school class eventually gets drafted in the 7th round, everyone needs to take a step back and evaluate what they missed - and why.
Sure, Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant and is a standout in the NFL. However, 7th-round picks are lottery tickets, and we know what those odds look like.
Here is the good news.
Ewers has been in the fast lane since high school. There has been a rush to get him to the NFL since the decision to skip his senior season and enroll at Ohio State. He skipped his senior season at Texas to enter the NFL Draft. For the first time in Ewers’ career, he will slow down and not have the pressure of trying to get to the next level. Ewers will be just a guy in Miami, something that he has never had the luxury of experiencing. He will have the opportunity to sit, develop, and not worry about getting injured. Ewers will benefit from being in the slow lane for a few years.
Ewers accomplished his goal of getting drafted. Hopefully, we look back on this draft and will say letting Ewers slip to the 7th round was another huge mistake by NFL scouts and coaches. Ewers loved Texas and deserves the support of Longhorn Nation.
However, it will not stop the debate.
What are they saying about Ewers?
Here is a portion of ESPN’s article on Ewers:
“Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in January that 'every stone will be unturned' as the team focused on its backup quarterback position this offseason, especially after starter Tua Tagovailoa missed a career-high six games in 2024.
“After signing veteran Zach Wilson in free agency, Miami added another big-name player to its quarterbacks room Saturday, selecting Texas' Quinn Ewers in the seventh round of the NFL draft.
“Ewers was the nation's No. 2 overall recruit coming out of Southlake (Texas) Carroll. ESPN had him as the seventh-ranked quarterback in this year's draft class, and he ended up being the 13th QB taken. Grier said he and coach Mike McDaniel first met Ewers at Texas' pro day in 2024 and came away impressed after speaking with Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian.
"Sark really likes him and was high on him, talking about him playing through the injuries this year -- which affected his play a little bit," Grier said. "But [Sarkisian] talked about his toughness, his mental toughness pushing through with the injury, the expectations, all the pressure with [Arch] Manning there coming in. He loved his competitiveness and how he plays, and how his teammates respond to him. So, he was someone that we always had an eye on and the opportunity at that point in the draft just made sense for us.”
Should Sark have played Arch Manning instead of Ewers?
This is the debate many Longhorn fans will have for years.
I think we will have a better idea after watching Manning this season.
For now, my answer is simple.
We will never know.
QB Whisperer
I cannot emphasize how important Arch Manning’s success will be to Steve Sarkisian’s reputation as the quarterback whisperer.
Manning will be Sarkisian's fifth starting quarterback since arriving at Texas. I am not suggesting that Sarkisian no longer has juice in his fastball. That would be insulting.
Instead, I'm saying Sarkisian could benefit from Manning having the same success as the quarterbacks he coached at Alabama, USC, and Washington.
Here is the list of Sarkisian’s starters at Texas:
Hudson Card – Named the starting quarterback in 2021 and was benched after Arkansas. He transferred to Purdue and struggled there, too.
Casey Thompson – Replaced Card as the starter in 2021. Transferred to Nebraska, FAU, and Oklahoma.
Maalik Murphy – Recruited by Sarkisian and had two starts in 2023. Played one year at Duke and is currently playing for Oregon State.
Ewers – Three-year starter at Texas.
Manning is just what Sarkisian needs to get back on track.
Hindsight being 20-20
Let me start by saying Sarkisian is the right man for the job. He has a great chance to win a national championship this season. Texas needed to make a coaching change, and the Longhorns have their guy.
Just think about this for a moment.
Every Longhorn observer thought the ship was sinking when Tommy Brockermeyer and James Brockermeyer committed to Alabama, and Ewers decommitted from Texas to sign with Ohio State.
- Tommy Brockermeyer medically retired from football.
- James Brockermeyer transferred from Alabama to TCU after three seasons. He transferred to Miami during the offseason.
- We just discussed Ewers.
Is Texas becoming DTU?
Forget about DBU for a second. Let’s talk about the success Texas is having with the interior guys on the defensive line.
Here are the recent draft picks:
2023 – Keondre Coburn (6th round, Kansas City), Moro Ojomo (7th round, Philadelphia)
2024 – Byron Murphy II (1st round, Seattle), T’Vondre Sweat (2nd round, Tennessee)
2025 – Alfred Collins (2nd round, San Francisco), Vernon Broughton (3rd round, New Orleans)
2025 NFL Draft picks by schools, conferences (via CBSSports)
SEC (79)
• Georgia – 13
• Texas – 12
• Ole Miss – 8
• Alabama – 7
• LSU – 7
• Florida – 7
• South Carolina – 5
• Tennessee – 4
• Texas A&M – 3
• Auburn – 3
• Missouri – 3
• Kentucky – 2
• Oklahoma – 2
• Arkansas – 2
• Vanderbilt – 1
Big Ten (71)
• Ohio State – 14
• Oregon – 10
• Michigan – 7
• Maryland – 6
• Penn State – 5
• UCLA – 5
• Iowa – 5
• USC – 3
• Minnesota – 3
• Rutgers – 3
• Nebraska – 2
• Indiana – 2
• Wisconsin – 2
• Michigan State – 1
• Purdue – 1
• Illinois – 1
• Washington – 1
ACC (42)
• Miami (FL) – 7
• Virginia Tech – 5
• Cal – 4
• Syracuse – 4
• Clemson – 3
• Pitt – 3
• Boston College – 3
• SMU – 2
• Georgia Tech – 2
• Louisville – 3
• Florida State – 2
• Virginia – 1
• North Carolina – 1
• NC State – 1
• Stanford – 1
Big 12 (31)
• Colorado – 4
• Iowa State – 4
• Arizona – 4
• Oklahoma State – 4
• Kansas State – 3
• TCU – 2
• UCF – 2
• Texas Tech – 2
• Kansas – 2
• Utah – 1
• West Virginia – 1
• Arizona State – 1
• Cincinnati – 1
Independent (7)
• Notre Dame – 6
• UConn – 1
Mountain West (6)
• Boise State – 2
• Utah State – 1
• Colorado State – 1
• Nevada – 1
• UNLV – 1
American (6)
• Tulane – 2
• East Carolina – 1
• Navy – 1
• UTSA – 1
• Memphis – 1
MAC (4)
• Toledo – 1
• Bowling Green – 1
• Western Michigan – 1
• Central Michigan – 1
Big Sky (3)
• Montana State – 1
• Montana – 1
• Sacramento State – 1
Missouri Valley (2)
• North Dakota State – 2
United Athletic (1)
• Central Arkansas – 1
SWAC (1)
• Alabama A&M – 1
CAA (1)
• William & Mary – 1
C-USA (1)
• Western Kentucky – 1
Pac-2 (1)
• Washington State – 1
Sun Belt (1)
• Marshall – 1
Jim Nagy vs. Brandon Harris
For all of the hype surrounding Oklahoma hiring Jim Nagy as its general manager and the Sooners suddenly having someone better than Texas’s Brandon Harris, it has turned out to be “much ado about nothing.”
If we are judging both schools off what has been accomplished during the spring transfer portal window – Nagy was hired in February – the competition is not close.
Texas signed receiver Emmett Mosley V, kicker Mason Shipley, defensive lineman Lavon Johnson, tight end Jack Endries, and defensive lineman Maraad Watson. Mosley, Shipley, and Endries are potential day one starters. Johnson and Watson will contribute.
Oklahoma has signed Syracuse offensive lineman Jake Maikkula (probably a backup at OU), former Cal running back Jaydn Ott (potential day one starter or contributor), former Utah State defensive lineman Ricky Lolohea (played in eight games for the Aggies, with 10 tackles (six solo) and one for loss), and former UTSA kicker Tate Sandell (will reportedly compete against two other kickers for the job).
We are still waiting to see Nagy’s instant impact.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
This is for the Cowboys fans:
When the draft party food has your stomach doing flips:
It is officially time to move:
This is not funny – it’s inspiring:
Sports On A Dime
1. This is what being humble and appreciative looks like. Good luck, Barryn Sorrell
2. Former Longhorn receiver Matthew Golden on the feeling of walking out on the draft stage:
“It was so cool, the energy of the Packer fans, I could just feel it. And you know, I'm so excited to be here. I'm glad the organization picked me.”
3. Golden on being able to buy his grandmother’s house back:
“That's the house I grew up in when I was younger. And like I said, it got taken away from us a couple of years ago. Just knowing that I'm in a position to be able to get that back, you know, for all my family, my little cousins that grew up there, just for everybody to go back home, you know, just feel that energy now. That's something my grandma always wanted. And before my great-grandma died, she always wanted one of her grandsons to make it to the NFL. I'm the last one standing, and I made it, so I know she’s proud of me.”
4. Former Texas defensive tackle Alfred Collins on being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers:
“That was amazing, an amazing feeling. To be able to get the opportunity to play again, win some more games. Man, it was amazing being with all my family. Everybody that helped me along the way. It was fantastic. I don’t even have words.”
5. Former Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks on his memories of New Orleans, having played in the Sugar Bowl:
“I haven’t been to New Orleans a whole lot, but I have a lot of family from Louisiana, and my best friend is from that area too, so I feel like it’s kind of an at-home situation for me. I don’t think I’ll feel out of place at all coming to the city of New Orleans and feeling comfortable. I remember going into that stadium (in the Sugar Bowl) and just seeing how electrifying it was, even though it wasn’t the Saints, it was our team, but just seeing how electrifying it was and how much energy was coming out of that stadium. I know it will be a good experience once I put that Saints helmet on.”
6. Former Longhorn cornerback Jahdae Barron on what he wants to say to Longhorn Nation:
“I just want to say thank you for week in and week out just cheering for me. Being at Texas has been the best years of my life. I’ve dedicated so much to just wearing that burnt orange, growing up, being a child, and going to the games when I was little, so just every chance I got to play in DKR, it literally meant the world to me. Every fan and every coach and every teammate played a big part in that. All of the staff there, everyone was just there with open arms and kept believing in me. UT has the best and biggest spot in my heart forever. I love you all, and Longhorn Nation forever.”
7. Former Longhorn safety Andrew Makuba on what playing at Texas last year meant to him, along with his teammates Jahdae Barron and Michael Taaffe:
“Playing this last year in Texas was an honor and a blessing to be honest with you, because I grew up in Austin, Texas, and am from Austin, Texas. Growing up, all you know is hook ‘em your whole life, so just being able to do that at the highest level in one of the best conferences in college, I mean, it was definitely amazing.”
8. Makuba on how prepared he feels for the NFL coming out of Texas:
“I feel well prepared. That's what my time at Texas did for me, just competing and being around some of the best guys in college football, that just helped me and got me ready for what's coming. So, I feel like what I’m going to see along the road, it's not going to be anything new for me. That's what Texas honestly did for me, preparing me and then just getting me ready for anything that comes my way.”
9. Former Purdue and Texas quarterback Hudson Card went undrafted and has not signed with any team as an undrafted free agent. Longhorn fans wasted too much time debating Card vs. Thompson and Card vs. Ewers.
10. The NFL informed Shedeur Sanders that it only wanted him as a humbled 5th-round pick as opposed to the alternative if he was drafted higher. Always remember, pre-draft reports and mock drafts are fun, but it is mostly guesswork. You will never know how teams truly feel about a prospect until the draft, and the “experts” rarely know everything.
