Analyzing 3 difference-makers that can help Texas football win the Big 12
Quinn Ewers, QB
It goes without saying that Texas must have a difference-maker at the quarterback position if this team wants any shot at competing for a Big 12 Championship this coming season. And that’s why it’s so important that Sark and the Longhorns either get rising junior quarterback Hudson Card or redshirt freshman Quinn Ewers stepping up to the plate in a big way this fall.
While there will still be a quarterback competition between Ewers and Card at the outset of fall camp, it does feel like the former of those two signal-callers has a sizable edge. Sark and the Longhorns didn’t go all out to get a commitment from the former Ohio State Buckeye Ewers by way of the NCAA Transfer Portal to have him sit for a year or two.
And given how Ewers is likely planning on only sticking around on the Forty Acres for a couple of seasons, he’s got to be looking to make a big splash for this offense right away this fall.
Throughout spring camp and summer workouts/on-field practice work, Ewers continues to put his immense arm talent on display. The next step for Ewers will be to show the maturity and leadership necessary to effectively take the reins for this offense ahead of the upcoming regular season.
Texas needs Ewers to provide more stability and potency at the quarterback position than this offense got last season from the duo of Card and redshirt junior Casey Thompson. Ewers has all the talent to make this happen, he just has to minimize mistakes and prevent all this pressure from getting to his head.
There will be some factors that will impact the outcome of Ewers’ 2022 campaign that will be out of his control such as the play of the offensive line. But we have to trust the process with offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Kyle Flood to develop this position group in Year 2.
If Texas does win a Big 12 Championship (or at least make it to the conference title game) in 2022, that would very likely mean that Ewers had an All-Big 12-caliber season.