Quinn Ewers Left Off the Preseason All-American List: Was He Snubbed?

Ewers failed to beat out Georgia's Carson Beck and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel for a spot on the teams.

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

Just five days before the Week 0 matchup between Florida State and Georgia Tech that will kick off the college football season, the Associated Press has announced the 2024 preseason College Football All-Americans, with one familiar name, and another one excluded for Texas Longhorns fans.

Junior left tackle Kelvin Banks received the honor of Preseason All-American as a member of the first team, joining three other SEC offensive linemen. Banks has started both of his first two years in college and is seen as one of the premier targets in the 2025 NFL Draft. Banks was assumed to take one of the four tackle spots between the two All-American teams, but the name that Texas fans don't see on the list is quarterback Quinn Ewers.

Ewers has been the talk of the off-season, especially in the entertainment industry. Ewers is on the cover of the highly popular College Football 25 game, has agreed to many lucrative and notable NIL deals, and has even become the 'QB1 of Fansville' in a recent Dr. Pepper ad. Despite this, however, Ewers made neither the first nor second team, getting beaten out by future rival Carson Beck of Georgia and Dillon Gabriel, who defeated Texas in the Red River Rivalry last year before transferring to Oregon.

Ewers' exclusion is a reminder to Texas fans about one important lesson: not everyone is talking about the Longhorns the same way fans in Austin are. Texas has a giant brand, arguably the largest in college football, which is why players like Ewers and backup Arch Manning are getting many deals and appearances in the media. But just because Ewers may be the most popular quarterback in college football right now, it doesn't mean he is the best.

Ewers had an up-and-down 2023, where injuries and odd performances kept him out of inner-circle discussions. The then-sophomore played 12 of the team's 14 games, with notably exceptional performances against Alabama and Oklahoma State, two of the most important games of the year. Ewers' ability to step up in big games has added to his stock as a quarterback, but was he really 'snubbed' behind Gabriel and Beck?

Texas Longhorns Quinn Ewers,3, during the first fall football camp practice for the Texas Longhorns at Denius Fields on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

All three of these gunslingers are leading preseason AP Top Four teams, with Ohio State's Will Howard being the only quarterback on a top-five team to not be top five in Heisman odds on BetMGM. Gabriel and Beck are tied for the best odds, while Ewers is tied with Alabama's Jalen Milroe for third, a possible explanation for their absence on the list.

On a purely statistical basis, Ewers does find himself in the middle of the two All-American nominees. Of all returning power five quarterbacks, only Gabriel, now-Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders averaged more yards per game than Ewers. Gabriel and Ewers threw a similar amount of passes in 2023, while Ward and Sanders were a little less efficient on much higher attempts, leading to better counting stats.

Ewers actually ranks ahead of Beck, who made the first team, in terms of passing yards and touchdowns per game, but falls behind in most other categories. Beck played more games on a generally harder schedule, completing 3% more of his passes, earning a 10% higher passer rating and .7 more yards per attempt, while Gabriel ranks ahead of Ewers on every other stat.

Ewers seems to be in a tier with the two All-Americans, as Milroe, though efficient and elusive in the running game, is a much worse passer at the moment than the other three. However, even if he is in the same tier, it would be foolish to say he was snubbed after the 2023 season he had.

Gabriel and Beck were more efficient and higher-volume quarterbacks who just didn't lead their team as far, but when looking ahead to 2024 it is easy to see both Georgia and Oregon ending their season later than the Longhorns. Ewers may not be on the preseason team, but with a need to rely on his passing game more it is possible Ewers becomes one of the favorites to win the Heisman swiftly into the year.