Quinn Ewers Shares Latest on Growth of Texas QB Trey Owens

Texas Longhorns freshman Trey Owens is set to be the team's third-string quarterback this season.

Trey Owens (trey.owensqb - Instagram) /

AUSTIN -- The Texas Longhorns' quarterback room is among the top in college football this season, though there's not much debate that it's the most-talked about.

The presence of potential Heisman Trophy candidate Quinn Ewers and big-name prodigy Arch Manning has created some juicy headlines dating back to before last season, but this has naturally created somewhat of a shadow over Texas' third-string quarterback, Trey Owens.

A four-star recruit in the 2024 class, Owens will likely spend the majority of his first season watching Ewers and Manning from the sidelines. He got a chance to show Texas fans what he can do during the Orange-White Spring Game, but if you ask Ewers, the freshman's performance was hardly a surprise.

Texas Longhorns Quinn Ewers 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

In an exclusive interview with Texas Longhorns on SI, Ewers discussed Owens' growth, saying that his presence helps add to "the best quarterback room in the country."

"He's definitely a fun guy to have in the room, for sure," Ewers told Texas Longhorns on SI. "He's goofy and he's a funny guy, so he's just fun to be around. I've got to see him grow over the past year or so, and just seeing how much he's matured since when he got here, just how much he cares about football. Iron sharpens iron, and that goes for anybody in that quarterback room. I think we are the best quarterback room in the country, and we really pushed each other to be the best quarterbacks we can be. I think that's why we are continually getting better."

In the spring game, Owens finished 14 of 21 passing for 228 yards and three touchdowns, as he went toe-to-toe with Manning in what turned into an exciting back-and-forth affair. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian sung Owens' praises after the game.

"Trey Owens is very talented and he can make a lot of throws, so I’m very encouraged with where we’re at at the quarterback position," Sarkisian said in April.

In high school, the Cy-Fair product put together an impressive junior season, throwing for 2,057 yards and 34 touchdowns with just six interceptions while completing 66 percent of his passes - which landed him Texas District 17-6A offensive MVP.

During his senior year, Owens helped lead his team to the 11-2 record while completing 222 of 313 passes for 3,303 yards, 43 touchdowns and five interceptions.

If No. 4 Texas can build a sizable lead in the regular-season opener against Colorado State on Aug. 31, don't be surprised if Owens gets his first look at live-game action.