Expert: Longhorns Will Reach 'Ceiling' if QB Quinn Ewers Does

If the Texas Longhorns live up to offseason expectations, the play of quarterback Quinn Ewers will be key to that.

What needs to happen for the Texas Longhorns to return to AT&T Stadium and play for a Big-12 title for the first time since the 2018 season? Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers needs to play like the first-round draft pick he is projected to become in April of 2024. 

That statement is what ON3.com's JD PicKell recently said on his "The Hard Count" podcast. 

"If [Quinn Ewers] reaches his ceiling, if he is a top-five quarterback for Texas, they're going to be in Jerry World," PicKell said. ... "They're going to be able to outscore anybody that they show up against. They are going to be a 40-points-per-game kind of team, and they are going to be able to maximize their weapons."

PicKell would say that the playmakers that coach Steve Sarkisian and co. have added around Ewers could become an opposing defense's nightmare with all the weapons that the Longhorns could utilize. In addition to returning top receivers from a season ago, Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington, the Horns added one of the most talented players in the transfer portal, Adonai Mitchell. 

Adding the former Bulldog gives Ewers a potential three-headed-monster out wide while having tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders returning after his emergence last season as a freshman. 

With all of these weapons and an improving offensive line, the hope is Ewers can make the second-year jump that has historically been seen in quarterbacks who've played under Sarkisian. A recent example of that trend is current New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, who became a Heisman Trophy finalist and a first-round pick after his second and final season in Sarkisina's.

Ewers had his moments in his redshirt freshman season, with his games against Alabama and Oklahoma standing out. Before the shoulder injury that knocked him out of the game versus the Crimson Tide, Ewers impressed, completing nine of his 12 passes for 134 yards. 

The Longhorns are hoping for more of the good from Ewers and less of the bad as they are two weeks away from the kickoff of the 2023 regular season.

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Follow Harrison Reno on Twitter

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