The 2022 Texas football recruiting class really got off and running heading into the weekend by landing the nation’s No. 1 QB prospect Quinn Ewers.
About the biggest news that head coach Tom Herman and recently hired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich could receive on the trail arrived heading into the weekend. The 2022 Texas football recruiting class was able to land a commitment from the top ranked prospect in the nation in the highly coveted five-star Southlake Carroll pro-style quarterback Quinn Ewers. The biggest target that Texas had for the 2022 cycle is already committed to them prior to the start of the current cycle’s Early Signing Period.
There was no problem with the depth that the Longhorns had amounted in the quarterback room from the last few signing classes. Texas signed a nice four-star quarterback combination in the 2020 recruiting class between Lake Travis product Hudson Card and Duncanville product Ja’Quinden Jackson.
The solid 2019 class also brought the former four-star dual-threat quarterback Roschon Johnson to the Longhorns. But Johnson has since converted to running back, which was a moved that worked out really well so far. There’s also four-star Katy Tompkins dual-threat quarterback Jalen Milroe committed to the 2021 class.
Now that Texas landed the elite Ewers to put an extremely solid foundation on the 2022 class, the results on the trail can pop off from here heading into the 2020 season. They also have a commitment from four-star wide receiver Phaizon Wilson in the 2022 class. Texas has a fantastic start at the skill positions for this cycle.
Here’s a look at three more reasons why landing the nation’s top ranked 2022 quarterback prospect Ewers is a massive game-changer for the Longhorns.
3. Transition after the Sam Ehlinger-era becomes smoother
There will be a one or two year period, in all likelihood, where the Longhorns won’t have Ewers on campus to replace the rising senior star quarterback Sam Ehlinger as the starter for this offense. Ehlinger’s eligibility is up following the 2020 season, so there will be a sizable gap between his departure and Ewers’ entrance onto the Forty Acres.
The soonest that Ewers would possibly be able to compete for the starting quarterback role is the 2022 season, which gives a one season gap after Ehlinger departs from the program. Texas has other options until he lands on campus (given they’re able to keep his commitment) for the next starting signal caller between the likes of Card, Jackson, redshirt sophomore Casey Thompson, Milroe, etc.
But the point of landing the commitment of Ewers is not to immediately plug him in to bridge the gap between Ehlinger and whoever the next starting quarterback will be. The way Herman recruited at the quarterback position for the last few cycles inspires confidence that he’ll find the next man up after Ehlinger’s time is done.
Yet, the fact that Texas has so many options as to where they could turn to pick a starting quarterback after the Ehlinger-era is done on the Forty Acres should give a lot of hope to this fan base for what lies ahead. Ewers should be the future of this program heading into the mid-2020’s, though.
2. Foundation is provided to build out a truly elite 2022 class
There’s not much better that the Longhorns could do to start building out their 2022 recruiting class than landing the top ranked high school prospect in the nation, especially when he plays at quarterback. Texas got things rolling on the recruiting trail for the 2022 class when they landed that commitment from the aforementioned 6-foot-4 and 210 pound Lancaster product Wilson.
Wilson ranks as the nation’s No. 245 2022 high school prospect, No. 31 wide receiver, and No. 33 prospect out of Texas (247Sports Composite). Add that along with Ewers, and the Longhorns really have something to build on for what could be yet another top three ranked recruiting class in the nation when it’s all said and done.
So where does Texas go from here after landing the commitment from Ewers?
The next targets up should be some form of list that includes five-star Bowie offensive guard Devon Campbell, five-star Del Valle wide receiver Caleb Burton, and four-star Klein Cain running back Jaydon Blue. And that’s just on the offensive side of the ball. They could also be looking at other defensive blue chip prospects like five-star Mater Dei cornerback Domani Jackson, five-star Katy weak-side defensive end Malick Sylla, and four-star Duncanville strong-side defensive end Omari Abor.
Since Ewers could be that type of program changing commitment that Texas gets to really bring the team back to national prominence, others are going to want to join the party. This impact on the recruiting trail of landing a pledge from Ewers could stem from the 2021 class, all the way up through 2023 or 2024.
1. The raw talent of Quinn Ewers
We can’t forget about the main factor that Ewers brings to the table eventually, once he lands on campus, for the Longhorns. The raw arm talent that Ewers brings for the Longhorns is going to be truly special. And it is something that might be able to help him make an immediate impact once he lands on the Forty Acres in 2022.
The 6-foot-3 and 195 pound native of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (more specifically Southlake, TX), is going to be about the most impactful addition for the Longhorns in any recruiting class since maybe Vince Young. It can’t be quantified how big it would be for the Longhorns to keep the commitment of Ewers and sign him come the Early Signing Period in December 2021.
Ewers has led Southlake-Carroll High School to a state title in Texas already, and his completion percentage was better than 72.0 during his sophomore season. He also registered more than 4,000 passing yards, 568 rushing yards, 54 total touchdowns, and just three interceptions, during the 2019 high school football season in Texas.
This is the type of quarterback prospect that could eventually be a top three pick in the NFL Draft. He’s got an enormous arm and is insanely accurate both inside the pocket and when rolling out. He has enough athleticism to be a threat using his legs, which could be a perfect hybrid between the prototypical Herman and Yurcich offensive schemes.
There is no doubt that Ewers should be able to change this program for the better over the long haul.