Can Sark Help Texas Win Back Five-Star QB Quinn Ewers?

Texas lost a big commitment from Southlake five-star QB Quinn Ewers in October, but with Steve Sarkisian in town, can the Longhorns make up ground?

This past October, the Texas Longhorns and former head coach Tom Herman took a major hit on the recruiting trail, when No. 1 overall recruit quarterback Quinn Ewers de-committed from the university.

That loss was made even more painful when Ewers made a commitment to Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes, seemingly ending the Longhorns' chances at finding their next elite star quarterback.

It was also a loss that, at the time, seemed both devastating and insurmountable, as Texas’s season began to slip away, and their recruiting momentum came to a grinding halt.

That all changed, however, when Texas moved on from Herman and hired former Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian (who has since hired a number of other former Alabama assistants) as its new head coach.

READ MORE: Longhorns Hope To Restock At RB With Top DFW Recruit

With Herman now gone, however, Sarkisian not only has a chance to close the 2021 class with momentum but to send a message to the rest of the country with his first full recruiting cycle in 2022 by attempting to flip Ewers back to the Forty Acres.

Sarkisian is off to a good start, having already put Texas back in the national spotlight, and securing his first commitment of the 2020 class in four-star wideout, Armani Winfield.

Now, with that first recruit now committed, ESPN’s Greg McElroy believes that Sarkisian should make Ewers priority No. 1 going forward.

"Sark needs to continue to be a quarterback guru,” McElroy said. “Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones both had incredible seasons by Sarkisian's measure, and in large part too because he creates so many problems for defenses with matchups and pre-snap movements and pre-snap motions. And he also makes it remarkably easy on quarterbacks.”

READ MORE: Texas A Top Goal For Five-Star WR Coleman Jr.

A native of Southlake, Texas, Ewers grew up wanting to play for the Longhorns for most of his life, hoping that he could be the next star signal-caller to wear burnt orange on the Forty Acres.

“If he signs with Texas, it's going to signal that there's a new sheriff in town in Austin and that's it's a destination for offensive talent to flock to,” McElroy said. “If he can make that move, it legitimately has a chance to send shockwaves through the rest of the college football world."

The junior, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 205 pounds, has led the Southlake Carroll Dragons to a 12-1 record and a state title berth this Saturday night against Austin Westlake, despite missing time during the season due to an injury, and has completed 67-percent of his passes for 2,091 yards and 25 touchdowns, with just three interceptions.

READ MORE: Banks Shot: Can 'Bama Ex Make Instant Impact In Texas?

Last season, playing a fully healthy campaign, Ewers was even more productive, passing for 4,003 yards and 45 touchdowns, as well as rushing for 568 yards and nine touchdowns.

Ewers is also a finalist for the 2020 Landry Award, which goes to the top player in the North Texas area, regardless of position.

Texas could use that boost as well, with one of the best quarterbacks in school history, Sam Ehlinger, moving on to the NFL after four successful seasons under center.

Not only is Ewers is more than capable of filling that role, but he also has the talent to be an all-time great, and one that could help Sarkisian and the Longhorns return to the precipice of the college football realm.