The Most Beleaguered Quarterback in College Football Finally Earns His Spurs
Quinn Ewers has spent the entire season hearing people call for him to be benched in favor of his backup. On Wednesday, in the playoff quarterfinals, he showed exactly why he’s still QB1.
By
Jared Diamond
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Jan. 2, 2025 at 9:00 am ET
Quinn Ewers has spent all season trying to justify his position as the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns.
He’s felt the criticism after each of his 10 interceptions. He’s been jeered every time he’s missed an open receiver. He’s heard the chorus of people calling for his backup, Arch Manning, to take his job.
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Over the past few months, calling for Ewers to be benched has become almost as popular in Austin as going out for breakfast tacos.
But in overtime of the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on Wednesday, with the Longhorns facing a fourth-and-13 and their lofty championship aspirations hanging by the slimmest of threads, Ewers showed why Texas has continued to trust him.
Anything short of a first down would have resulted in a stunning Arizona State upset—and sparked outrage over the decision to stick with Ewers. Instead, Ewers delivered the most important throw of his life, a 28-yard touchdown strike to Matthew Golden to bring the Longhorns back from the brink of disaster.
It’s no exaggeration to say it may have been the most consequential play in Longhorns’ history since Vince Young’s fourth-and-5 touchdown run in the final seconds of Texas’ national championship victory over USC nearly 20 years ago.
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Then, on the very next snap from scrimmage—all of two minutes later—Ewers connected with Gunnar Helm on a 25-yard score to propel Texas to a semifinal matchup against Ohio State next week.
It was a shocking sequence that in an instant entirely reframed the Ewers-versus-Manning debate that has been raging from the moment Peyton and Eli’s nephew arrived on campus last season.
Suddenly, the question isn’t whether Ewers should be playing for the Longhorns—it’s how far he can take them.
“Quinn’s a leader,” cornerback Jahdae Barron said afterward. “He’s been leading us this whole time.”
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Not long ago, Ewers was seen as the next great quarterback from the Lone Star State, joining the ranks of stars like Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford and Drew Brees. He was a prodigy from childhood, receiving his first scholarship offer when he was in the sixth grade. By the time he graduated from high school, Ewers was considered the best recruit in the country, a generational talent bound to dominate in college before soaring to the top of the NFL draft.
But Ewers’s road hasn’t been quite that smooth. He has been generally inconsistent in his three seasons at Texas after transferring from Ohio State. There have been moments of brilliance, like when he threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Alabama in 2023. There have been just as many moments of frustration and disappointment that have kept Ewers from ascending to the heights that have long been expected of him.
Manning’s commitment to Texas only increased the pressure on Ewers to reach his potential. When Ewers hurt his oblique muscle during the Longhorns’ game against Texas-San Antonio on Sept. 14 and opened the door for Manning, the highly touted sophomore took full advantage. Manning led Texas to an easy victory that day, followed by blowouts over Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State in the following weeks.
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Ever since then, Ewers has seemingly been one rough performance away from ceding the role to Manning permanently. Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian even benched Ewers in favor of Manning for two first-half drives in a key contest against Georgia in October.
But as the playoffs neared, Sarkisian never wavered from Ewers, opting to rely on experience when the stakes were highest. Experience, Ewers said Wednesday, is something “you can’t really coach or teach.”
“The guy recalibrates so quickly, and he’s so calm that it allows me to lean on him in the most critical moments,” Sarkisian said of Ewers.
Against Arizona State, Ewers rewarded Sarkisian’s faith, even after a critical interception that helped the Sun Devils overcome a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit.
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When Ewers lined up in the shotgun before the pivotal fourth down in overtime, one play away from a career-defining loss, he noticed the Sun Devils were preparing an all-out blitz. So he calmly leaned in toward the center to signal to his offensive line to change the protection.
It worked perfectly. Texas contained Arizona State’s ferocious pass rush, giving Ewers time to find Golden streaking toward the end zone. The throw was on target. Finally, Ewers had the signature highlight that the Longhorns had long been waiting for.
Even Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham was impressed, saying Ewers “did a phenomenal job” recognizing the Sun Devils’ defense with the play clock ticking down. Ewers finished with 322 passing yards and three touchdowns.
“For all of us to stay calm, it kind of starts with me,” he said. “I just try to be that calm within the storm for all the guys.”
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For most of his time at Texas, that hasn’t been enough. His tenure with the Longhorns has been judged by what he hasn’t accomplished compared with others who have worn burnt orange and white.
Ewers hasn’t been a national champion like Young or an All-American like Colt McCoy. It appears that Manning will take over as Texas’ starter in 2025, leading to speculation that Ewers could look to transfer or jump to the NFL.
But for now, the Longhorns are two wins away from their first title since 2005—and Ewers is a major reason why.
