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Texas

Former No. 1 Recruit & Ohio State QB Announces Massive Transfer Decision

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The state of Texas is a hotbed for talented high school football quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and so many more made a name for themselves before starring in the NFL on the prep scene in the Lone Star State, where the caliber of play is bigger and better.

Quinn Ewers could very well be the next in line. With a luscious, bleached blonde mullet and a style of play comparable to Trevor Lawrence, the most highly-touted quarterback recruit in recent memory changed college football as we know it.

Ewers forewent his senior year at Southlake Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas, to join the Ohio State Buckeyes and cash in on his talent. Now, after collecting a hefty payday, Ewers is returning to his home state.

Quinn Ewers Transfers From Ohio State to Texas

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The new name, image and likeness rule put in place on July 1 isn't only impacting players on college rosters.

Ewers announced he was skipping his senior year of high school to enroll at Ohio State in August 2021 to take advantage of the new rule:

"Over the past few weeks, following Texas' UIL informing me I would be prohibited from profiting off my own name, image and likeness, I've taken time to think about what lies ahead of me, both in the short-and long term," Ewers said over social media. "It's unfortunate I've found myself in this situation, as my preference would have been to complete my senior season at Southlake Carroll along with the teammates and friends I've taken the field alongside for the past three years."

"However, following conversations with my family and those I know have my best interests in mind, I've decided it's time for me to enroll at Ohio State and begin my career as a Buckeye."

"This is not just a financial decision; this is about what is best for my football career. At 18, and with one final class about to be completed to earn my high-school degree, I feel it's time to get the jump on my college career that is available to me. I am eager to start learning from Coach Day and the rest of the coaching staff."

Ewers' decision could have massive implications for both high school and college football. If major recruits have the opportunity to make six figures in college, why should they waste their time in high school?

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The former top prospect arrived in Columbus about three-quarters of the way through fall camp. He entered the 2021 season expecting to redshirt and Buckeye head coach Ryan Day placed him behind C.J. Stroud, Kyle McCord and Jack Miller on the depth chart, but that didn't stop him from inking NIL deals.

Per Yahoo! Sports writer Pete Thamel, former Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers made over $1 million in several ventures, including an autograph deal and a sponsorship with Texas-based beverage company Holy Kombucha. He was riding in style while he was in Ohio, too. The quarterback received a supercharged Ford F-250 Tremor as part of his deal with Columbus car dealership Ricart Automotive.

Ewers, who only took two snaps in 2021, informed the Ohio State Buckeyes he was transferring less than a week after the program fell to archrival Michigan. The loss caused Ohio State to miss the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time since 2016. Additionally, the Buckeyes are absent from the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2018. Even though it's a "down year", OSU is taking the Big Ten spot in the Rose Bowl Game against Utah while conference champion Michigan faces off against Georgia in the CFP semifinal.

As the Buckeyes prepare to take on the Utes, Ewers is headed back to the Lone Star state. After narrowing his choices to Texas and Texas Tech, Ewers is moving to Austin.

"Hey Alexa play "Take Me to Texas" by @GeorgeStrait #HookEm," he said in a tweet announcing his commitment.

The former Buckeye will enter a quarterback battle with Casey Thompson and Hudson Card. Thompson and Card both held the starting job at one point in 2021, although Thompson ended up finishing with more playing time after taking over in the second game of the season against Arkansas. Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian previously recruited Ewers when he was the offensive coordinator at Alabama.

Ewers, who will have four years of eligibility at UT, isn't the only highly-touted recruit to join Sark's squad this weekend. The Longhorns will be getting a boost on the offensive line with the addition of five-star Kelvin Banks, who decommitted from Oregon after head coach Mario Cristobal left for Miami.

5-Star QB Quinn Ewers Recruiting

Five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers, the nation's former No. 1 player in the 2022 recruiting class according to thee 247Sports Composite and ESPN, has a cannon arm and pinpoint accuracy, so it's no surprise college football programs across the country were hot on his trail.

According to 247Sports, the 6-foot-3 signal caller had 29 offers from NCAA programs that included Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, LSU, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Arizona State, Michigan, Miami, Penn State, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Baylor, TCU, USC and Washington.

The folks over at 247Sports believed early that Ewers could've ended up playing for head coach Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, which was just up the road from his hometown. He also was slated to visit Auburn before the coronavirus pandemic hit, according to USA Today. However, he had plenty of reasons to head south to Austin and play for the Texas Longhorns.

Ewers told 247Sports that he was a big fan of former Texas offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, plus he has family ties to the Big 12 school.

"My whole family is Longhorns. That'd be pretty cool. I have family near Austin. They would all come to games. I have family in New Braunfels which isn't too far and a bunch more family down South, that's where we originally moved from. This year they have to amp it up a little bit. I'm excited to see what they can do this year," he said.

The last quarterback or player of Ewers' magnitude to attend Texas? Just some dude named Vince Young.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19 outbreak in August 2020, Ewers decided it was time to make a verbal commitment.

Ewers announced his intentions to play for the Texas Longhorns and former head coach Tom Herman, but the pledge was short-lived.

Ewers' commitment lasted a little more than two months. The five-star quarterback announced he was de-committing from the Texas Longhorns in October 2020.

"I've decided to de-commit and reassess the situation before making such an important decision on my future. I would like to thank the University of Texas for their belief in me and my abilities. I understand this year has been challenging for the coaches and administrators as well, so I appreciate their understanding and wish them the best in their future," he wrote on social media.

"My family and I thank Texas Longhorns fans for their interest and support. I will soon have a firm decision on where I will spend the next few formative years of my life and career, and I look forward to sharing that with you."

Ewers announced his plans to head to Columbus to join Buckeye Nation in November 2020. He committed to Ohio State football via tweet. According to 247Sports, he was the second-highest rated OSU commit ever behind Terrelle Pryor.

Quinn Ewers Highlights

While Ewers hasn't played a meaningful football matchup in over a year, What stands out when watching this kid play is his incredible athleticism. He can roll out of the pocket and sling the ball 50 yards down the field on his back foot, or he can keep it and run the 50 yards himself.

Ewers can fire the ball with a tight spiral into tight holes or float it over defenses with touch. Some of the throws in the video above already resemble that of an All-American passer prepping for the NFL Draft.

Just check out him casually flinging a ball 73 yards as a high schooler:

It's like he's throwing from Los Angeles, California, to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sheesh.

And let's talk about that accuracy: Per Max Preps, Ewers threw for 4,003 yards, 45 touchdowns and just three interceptions as a sophomore in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 2019. THREE interceptions. Out of 402 pass attempts.

It's no wonder the Southlake Carroll football team went 13-1 and finished their run just short of a state championship. Ewers was then voted Fort Worth Star-Telegram Offensive Player of the Year and MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year.

As a junior, he threw for 2,442 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions in just eight games while battling a sports hernia.

Regarded as the "best junior quarterback prospect since Clemson's Trevor Lawrence" by 247Sports , Ewers' spot among the top of the recruiting rankings made all the sense in the world.

Now that Ewers has broken the seal of leaving high school to benefit off the new NIL rules, It'll be interesting to see if other elite prospects follow suit.

This post was originally published on July 15, 2020, but has been updated following Ewers' decision to transfer to Texas

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