Quinn Ewers and the Texas Longhorns are set to battle the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff semifinals in the Cotton Bowl on Friday.
Ewers, the senior quarterback from Carroll High School (Southlake, TX), has been with the Longhorns for three seasons now and has turned into one of the better QBs in the nation. However, even with another year of eligibility left, Ewers’ time with Texas may be over following this season, with backup Arch Manning possibly taking over the starting job in 2025.
But Ewers hasn’t spent his entire college career in Austin. In fact, he spent the 2021 season with Ohio State after reclassifying to the high school class of 2021.
As a true freshman in Columbus, back when Ewers was rocking a mullet, he did not see the field at all for the Buckeyes’ Rose Bowl run. Instead, he was redshirted and with a full QB room, including C.J. Stroud and Kyle McCord, Ewers elected to transfer to Texas in 2022.
Before the Cotton Bowl on Friday night, Ewers spoke to reporters and revealed the true reason why he made the decision to transfer from Ohio State to Texas.
“The reason that I came back to Texas was, one, to be closer to where I’m from and just closer to the resources that I have and the relationships that I’ve built over time just being from Texas,” Ewers said.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3).
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Ewers also spoke on his relationships from Ohio State, saying it still feels “like if I’d see them walking down the side of the road, it would be like I was hanging out with them yesterday.”
The quarterback also mentioned why he elected to reclassify to 2021 and elected to start his career with the Buckeyes.
“One of the main things was that there was that, I don’t know if you guys remember or not, but the Texas Legislature wasn’t going to allow high school football players to be paid,” Ewers added. “And me and my family had a pretty big opportunity in front of us that we felt that it was a good decision for me to go on and forgo my senior year and enroll early at Ohio State, and I have the opportunity to have some good money in our pockets as a family.”
Ewers was the top-ranked prospect in the class of 2021, per 247Sports. When in high school, he received offers from many powerhouses, including Texas and Alabama. But instead, he chose to play for Ohio State. Now, he has a chance to defeat his former team for a spot in the national championship.
