A lot of doubters continued to come out of the woodwork as former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers decided to opt out of his final season of collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. However, his head coach had his back no matter what.
In a recent interview with CBS Sports' Josh Pate, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian defended Ewers' decision to declare, calling out anyone and everyone who criticized his former quarterback's decision.
At the end of the day, Ewers is a 22-year-old young man who is chasing his dreams of playing football on the biggest stage. It has never been about money or fame for the quarterback, which is exactly what he received a lot of backlash for after declaring for the draft.
"Who are we to judge and criticize a young man who’s making a decision about his future?" Sarkisian said. "To criticize him for not taking the money. What are we talking about?"
College football has become entirely engrossed by NIL deals and making the most money, even if that means transferring away from the program that built you. Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, critics and analysts alike were pushing Ewers to stay in college but to transfer to another program to make more money than he would likely make in the NFL as a rookie.
While Ewers did fall to the seventh round, he got to watch his dreams come true as the Miami Dolphins called his name to make him the 231st pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
It's no secret that Sarkisian has built his home in Austin as he has returned the Texas Longhorns to the top of the college football totem pole. It's also no secret that he loves his players and will have their backs no matter what.
Sarkisian's conversation with Pate is just the latest example of what the Texas head coach will do for his athletes, even sticking up for them once they've left the program.