Texas Ex Chris Simms Believes Quinn Ewers Should Enter Transfer Portal

Despite his continued strong performance in the College Football Playoff, there is still doubt that Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers will enter the NFL Draft this offseason.

Harrison Reno | Jan 3, 2025

Jan 1, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) holds up the trophy after a victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Texas Longhorns

While the Texas Longhorns find themselves one win away from playing for their first national championship since 2009. There are still many questioning whether the Longhorns' starting quarterback Quinn Ewers will be declaring for the NFL Draft at the season's end.

Instead, the rumor is that Ewers will elect to return for his senior year. However, those rumors include that Ewers wouldn't play out his senior season in Austin. Rather, he'd do it elsewhere via the transfer portal.

Former Texas quarterback and now-turned NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms is among those who believe Ewers will not be playing his college football in Austin next season.

“Yes, I would hope so because I don’t think he’s a guy that is going to go in the first two rounds of the draft,” Simms said during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. “I think he has the potential to be that kind of guy, but I think he’s going to have to show people maybe another year of high-quality football play and all that."

Sep 7, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms on field prior to a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Simms added that Ewers would leave Texas because head coach Steve Sarkisian would be handing over the reins of the Longhorns offense to the current backup, Arch Manning. The former five-star quarterback and nephew to Peyton and Eli Manning reaffirmed his commitment to seeing out his time in Austin in the leadup to the Peach Bowl.

But as for Ewers, Simms continued:

“In my heart of hearts, I have no inside info, but I think that Quinn Ewers will be playing somewhere else. He is an NFL quarterback" Simms said. "He needs to throw the ball with more authority. There are too many of these lay the ball up there instead of driving the ball through the target, ... But yeah, I think it’s going to be somewhere else.”

Simms's belief that Ewers will put off his entrance into the NFL Draft for another year isn't an off-base take. Just this week ON3's Pete Nakos reported that Ewers received an eye-popping $6 million offer to transfer from a school.

Despite the reported multi-million dollar offer, Bobby Burton of OnTexasFootball.com reported that Ewers still plans to enter the draft following his junior season.

Until a decision is made anything is indeed possible. But as for Ewers's draft stock, while it may be up for debate whether teams see him as a Day 1 or Day 2 talent, he still has at least one more game to make an impression.

As he showed in the 39-31 double overtime win versus Arizona State, playing well on the biggest of stages certainly doesn't hurt. Ewers completed 20 of his 30 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns while tossing just one interception. While he added another touchdown with his legs. Particularly his performance down the stretch, late in the fourth quarter and overtime helped Texas pull out the win after seeing a 17-3 first-half lead evaporate.

Ewers will hope to continue his strong performance in the College Football Playoff semifinal where he and the Longhorns will face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl. Kickoff inside AT&T Stadium is set for Friday, January 10, at 6:30 p.m. CT.