Texas Football: Another list is wrong about the pressure on Quinn Ewers

It really feels like we can’t get away from all the discussion surrounding the potential of Texas football’s true freshman quarterback and the former elite five-star Isidore Newman recruit Arch Manning to “push” redshirt sophomore returning starter Quinn Ewers in spring ball. Most narratives in the national media early this offseason have pushed the idea that Manning can start to creep up on Ewers if he shows out in spring ball.

We have reiterated again and again on this site even prior to the start of this offseason that Ewers IS the starting quarterback heading into the spring. And the word on the street near the end of winter workouts is that Ewers has really taken command of his role within the program as a leader on offense.

I have a really hard time believing that there is any way for Arch to realistically put “pressure” on Ewers during spring camp in the next couple of months.

But that didn’t stop another list from 247Sports put Ewers squarely in the conversation of the quarterbacks that are facing the most “pressure” heading into spring ball around the college football landscape.

It was just a couple of weeks ago that we talked about a list from Brad Crawford of 247Sports that mentioned Arch and Ewers as one of the biggest quarterback competitions to watch during the spring, and how wrong that was.

247Sports conjures up another nothing-burger surrounding Texas football QB Quinn Ewers heading into spring

Crawford released another list on Feb. 22 that included Ewers as one of the 10 quarterbacks in college football facing the most pressure in spring camp. He cited the arrival of Arch on campus for the spring semester as something that will loom large if he shows out in camp over both Ewers and head coach Steve Sarkisian.

"By all accounts, the 2023 Longhorns belong to Ewers, the returning starter at Texas who is scheduled to help five-star freshman Arch Manning acclimate himself to the college game. However, what happens if Ewers is inconsistent during the spring and Manning shines as an early enrollee? That’s only going to increase the intrigue a bit surrounding Steve Sarkisian’s uber-talented quarterback room."

This is another list published by Crawford where it feels like the tone is that of an absolute nothing burger in terms of the potential for a quarterback competition to take place on the Forty Acres this spring.

I don’t know why Ewers is still being included in these lists when all indications are pointing toward him having control of the quarterback job heading into the 2023 season.

Moreover, I have also mentioned in the recent past that there is a chance that the backup quarterback job could be something to watch heading into fall camp. If Arch shines during spring ball and second-year quarterback Maalik Murphy doesn’t make the leap that Sark and AJ Milwee expect him to in 2023, then the backup job could be an open competition in fall camp.

But the fact of the matter is that this is Ewers’ offense heading into spring camp. From the early returns we’ve received out of winter workouts, it sounds like Ewers has done nothing but assured the coaches and his teammates that he is in a confident position as the returning starter at quarterback this year.

Texas finished up last season with a record of 8-5 (6-3 Big 12) following a loss to the No. 12 Washington Huskies in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29. Spring practice is set to begin for Ewers and the Longhorns on March 6 with the annual Orange-White spring football game set to take place on April 15 at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.