Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers, a player who surprised some by returning for the 2024 college football season instead of declaring for the NFL Draft, may be contemplating a similar decision for 2025.
Battling through injuries, Ewers has delivered another strong season for the Longhorns, completing 66.2% of his passes for 2,665 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, alongside one rushing touchdown.
His performance helped Texas earn a spot in the College Football Playoff, where they will face No. 16 Clemson on Dec. 21 at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.
The expectation throughout the season was that Ewers would enter the 2025 NFL Draft. However, a report from NFL Rookie Watch on X claims the 21-year-old is “debating” staying in college for another year.
“Quinn Ewers is reportedly “debating” on returning to college football and forgoing the NFL Draft yet again … However, Texas is reportedly “ready” to move on to Arch Manning next season, which would prompt Ewers to enter the transfer portal … Many NFL scouts reportedly believe Ewers could “benefit” from another year in college … Ewers has one more year of eligibility left and it most likely will be spent with another Top-10 team … The Longhorns QB has a DECISION to make.”
Adding complexity to the situation is Texas’ highly-touted backup quarterback, Arch Manning.
The ultra-popular Manning, a five-star recruit, has sat behind Ewers for two seasons, and there is speculation that head coach Steve Sarkisian might pivot to Manning in 2025 if Ewers stays.
As the college football world knows well, Arch is not a product of hype and hoopla based on his family name. When called upon, he has more than proven that he’s the absolute real deal.
Not to get ahead of ourselves, but there are some who believe that Arch will end up being the greatest Manning of all. And I think we all know how much that is saying.
Getting back to Ewers … His upcoming decision is complicated by the strength – or perceived lack thereof – of the 2025 NFL Draft class.
While there will be sexy names in the draft, many talent evaluators feel that there are no true “can’t-miss” prospects, especially at the quarterback position.
In the eyes of many, Ewers, along with other quarterbacks – such as Georgia’s Carson Beck – actually took a step backwards this season and their draft stocks have suffered because of it.
Not that they carry much weight, but in most mock drafts Ewers is viewed as a second-round pick. That’s quite a fall from the top-5 projection some had for him entering this season.
Should Ewers declare for the draft, he risks landing in a less-than-ideal situation, potentially as a backup. Another collegiate season could give him the opportunity to boost his draft stock for 2026.
In a way, you have to feel bad for Ewers. Despite being a terrific quarterback and leader for the Longhorns, he has never truly gotten the respect he deserves.
The reality is 70% of Texas’ fanbase would prefer to have Manning at quarterback instead of Ewers.
While Manning is capable of winning the national title this season, so is Ewers, and he has more than deserved the right to lead the Longhorns.
If he decided to forego the NFL draft, there’s a chance he may have to transfer out of Austin if Sarkisian decided to go with Manning as the starter in 2025.
It should be noted that Luke McMurtrey, an NFL agent with Sportstars, shot down the report and claimed there’s no truth to the idea that Ewers is considering skipping out on the draft.
“FAKE NEWS, source: Quinn Ewers team,” McMurtrey posted on X.
What are your thoughts on the wild report?
If he feels he won’t be drafted in the first round, do you think Ewers will pivot and decide to remain in college for one more season?
If that were to happen, knowing that Sark is eager to hand the baton off to Manning, could you see Ewers transferring – perhaps to North Carolina – to boost his draft stock???
