Texas Football: Quinn Ewers talks Cleat Crew program, NIL, Red River

Texas football redshirt sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers is one of the nine college athletes chosen to be a part of the 7-Eleven Cleat Crew Program. As part of the Cleat Crew program, Ewers linked up with the Shoe Surgeon to design a pair of cleats that will be auctioned this week. The proceeds from the auction will go to the Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, TX.

7-Eleven partnered with Children’s Miracle Hospital Networks for the Cleat Crew program to get some of the top names around college football involved with the fans for a good cause for these cleat auctions.

Ewers talked about his experience designing the cleats with the Shoe Surgeon, what it means to give back to a good cause with this NIL partnership, and more with Hook’em Headlines this week.

Texas football QB Quinn Ewers discusses the Cleat Crew program, NIL, and more during Red River week

AM: The Cleat Crew Program is a unique approach to getting college football stars with a large platform, such as yourself, Bo Nix, Marvin Harrison Jr., etc., involved in philanthropic endeavors where the fans also get involved in a big way with the auctions. What does being a part of the Cleat Crew Program mean to you?

Ewers: First off, it’s very humbling to be picked out of a big group of college ball players. I’m just super proud to be a part of a program like this that’s giving money back to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Just super fired up for the opportunity.

AM: Working with the Shoe Surgeon on this cleat design for the Cleat Crew Program, what were the must-have elements for your cleat design? And what has this process been like for you working with the Shoe Surgeon to design the cleats?

Ewers: It was really awesome working with him. He made it super easy on me, and he was awesome to work with. I think he really made my vision come to life with the camo on it. I’m a big supporter of the troops. And he put my mom’s initials on there; she had cancer when I was really young. And the bible verse that means a lot to me. It really came to life, and super fired up on how they turned out.

AM: You’ve been one of the college athletes at the forefront of this new wave of NIL, signing multiple deals during your collegiate career. How have you navigated through the ever-changing world of NIL in college sports these last few years?

Ewers: I think I have a really good group of people around me that help me navigate it, just like you said, which ultimately helps me focus on football. Because the NIL will come if you continue to play well and execute on the field.

AM: Year-over-year, and since you cut the mullet early in the 2023 offseason, you have talked a lot about your growth and development on and off the field at Texas. How have you seen that growth for you personally translate to success on the field for the team out early this season?

Ewers: 100%, I say it all the time: how you do the small things is how you do all things. So it really started with off-the-field things that I cleaned up in certain areas of my life, which translated to on-the-field things. I think cutting the mullet kinda set the tone to cut loose distractions and focus on the mission at hand.

AM: The week that your cleat auction takes place is during the Red River Rivalry game vs. OU. Red River is one of the biggest and most storied rivalries in college sports. What makes this rivalry game special to you in your experience having played in it once last season and getting ready for the matchup next weekend?

Ewers: I think it means a lot to this whole entire team and this whole university, like you said, it’s very storied and has a lot of tradition to it. And the environment is always unmatched, the atmosphere is like no other. And I’m just super grateful for being able to say I’ve played in it and to be able to play in it this upcoming Saturday. All the emotion that’s been there and the rich history it has makes it very special.

Ewers’ auction for the Cleat Crew program begins on Oct. 6

The auction for Ewers’ cleats for the Cleat Crew program begins Oct. 6 at 8 a.m. CT. The link to the auction can be found through the Cleat Crew program here.

Ewers and the No. 3 ranked Longhorns (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) will take on the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) in the Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas at the Texas State Fairgrounds on Oct. 7. The game kicks off at 11 a.m. CT.