Former Ohio State Quarterback Still Refers To Michigan As The Team Up North

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers was only an Ohio State Buckeye for a short time. At SEC Media Days, he still made sure to call Michigan "The Team Up North".

Jul 17, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

The Quinn Ewers experience did not go exactly how most Ohio State Buckeyes fans would have liked. Back in 2021, the quarterback surprised everyone around the country by deciding to skip his senior year of high school and enroll really early at Ohio State. Ewers was a five-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class and was the No. 1 overall ranked player. When he turned into a part of the 2021 class, he was still No. 1 overall ahead of players like Caleb Williams, J.T. Tuimoloau, JC Latham and Jack Sawyer.

Ewers was the first player to make a major decision like this after the NCAA passed legislation for NIL about a month prior to this move. At just 18-years-old, he then became a part of a quarterback room with C.J. Stroud, Kyle McCord and Jack Miller.

Despite being young, Ewers had a ton of raw talent and potential. In his two seasons as the starting quarterback at Southlake Carroll High School in Texas, he threw for a combined 6,445 yards and 73 touchdowns. His arm strength plus the blonde mullet at the time resulted in a lot of attention as a recruit.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) warms ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 Tulsa At Ohio State Football / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch via Imagn

During that 2021 season with the Buckeyes, C.J. Stroud took a firm hold on the starting quarterback position, throwing for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns. With Stroud not yet eligible to enter the NFL Draft, he was set to return for one more year as the Buckeyes' starter. Most Ohio State fans hoped that Ewers would stay and get the starting job after Stroud left, but Ewers decided he did not want to wait.

After only one season with the Buckeyes, the gunslinger from Texas returned to his home state to become the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns. After transferring to Texas, the young quarterback did not have the most perfect first season as a starter in what should have been his true freshman season. He threw for 2,177 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions with only a 58 percent completion percentage. The Longhorns also only went 8-5 that season, while the Buckeyes fell in a heartbreaker to the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff Semifinal.

Dec 2, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) looks to pass during the first half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

If Ewers decided to remain at Ohio State, he certainly would have had more time to learn and develop prior to being tossed in the fire so quickly. Ewers had made the decision he felt was best for him and 2023 was a flip of the script. Ohio State had Kyle McCord as the starting QB for the season and Ewers was in his second season as the starter for Texas. He had a much better year, throwing for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions, while his completion percentage was up to 69 percent. Not only did Ewers have better stats, but he also led his team to the College Football Playoffs. The Longhorns fell to the Washington Huskies in the Semifinal, just one step away from a National Title shot.

Headed into the 2024 season, a lot has changed for both programs. Kyle McCord transferred to Syracuse after some struggles as the Ohio State starting quarterback last season and now Kansas State transfer Will Howard and Devin Brown are in the middle of a quarterback competition. The Texas Longhorns have also officially left the Big 12 and are getting ready for their first season as members of the SEC.

Although a lot has changed since Ewers was once a young Buckeye QB, some things stay the same. While talking about the schedule for Texas to open the season, Ewers brought up the trip to the Big House in Week 2. He did not refer to the Michigan Wolverines by that name though, instead calling them "The Team Up North".

Quinn Ewers still saying “team up north” pic.twitter.com/kvTaqYJNkZ

— BuckeyeM⭕️B (@Buckeye_Mob) July 17, 2024

The smirk after finishing his statement will make Buckeyes' fans smile. Even though the time at Ohio State was short for Ewers, plenty stuck with him as he moved on to Texas.

Now everyone gets to sit back and watch how Ewers and the Longhorns handle that game at Michigan on September 7th.