Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers took to social media to announce he's returning to the program for the 2024 season. By doing so, Ewers forgoes an opportunity to enter the 2024 NFL Draft. It's a great decision for Ewers, who possesses an excellent opportunity to establish himself as the top-ranked quarterback in 2025.
The 2024 class of quarterbacks is a loaded one. USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye are expected to be the first and second overall players selected. LSU's Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, and Washington's Michael Penix Jr. could be drafted within the opening 10 picks. Michigan's J.J. McCarthy and Oregon's Bo Nix are also vying for top-32 territory.
It's not that Ewers doesn't belong in the conversation alongside those quarterbacks, but removing himself from the 2024 draft avoids the clutter he'd have to navigate throughout the pre-draft process. Ewers is fully capable of positioning himself for a cleaner, more straightforward process in 2025, which benefits all involved.
Ewers completed 69% of his passing attempts (272-of-394) this season with career-highs in passing yards (3,479) and touchdowns (22). Ewers threw just six interceptions and also rushed for five touchdowns. These are impressive totals considering he missed a pair of games due to injury. Ewers was particularly clutch for the Longhorns this season. He completed 76% of his passing attempts and threw six touchdowns versus zero interceptions in the fourth quarter of Texas' games, according to ESPN Stats & Information. NFL scouts will be paying close attention to Ewers' clutch factor this year.
Ewers led Texas to a highlight win over Alabama in Week 2, throwing for 349 yards and three touchdowns. Texas became the first non-conference opponent to claim victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium in 16 seasons. It was a resume-defining victory for Ewers, who should claim more accolades throughout 2024.
That victory wasn't the highlight of Texas' season. Ewers led the Longhorns forward to a 12-1 regular-season record, a five-win improvement from the previous year. Texas easily claimed The Big 12 Championship, defeating Oklahoma State 49-21 in the title game.
Ewers and the Longhorns rightfully claimed a spot in this year's College Football Playoff, their first postseason berth under its current format. Texas was downed 37-31 by the Washington Huskies in the Sugar Bowl, an instant classic that could have seen its result reversed in the closing seconds. Ewers rose to the occasion by throwing for 318 yards and one touchdown.
Returning to Texas gives Ewers and the program an outstanding chance to win next year's National Championship. Looking ahead, the field has already been weakened by Nick Saban's retirement. If Jim Harbaugh leaves Michigan, and the expectation is that he will, Texas will be one of few powerhouse programs with the benefit of continuity. Winning a national title would do unspeakable things for Ewers' pre-draft stock next winter.
Ewers and Georgia's Carson Beck will enter the upcoming campaign as the top two buzzworthy quarterback prospects. Continuing to hone his craft under an excellent offensive-minded head coach in Steve Sarkisian was the right decision for Ewers. That provides Ewers with an opportunity to significantly improve his pre-draft stock ahead of 2025. The onus falls on Ewers to take advantage.
