With the College Football Playoff well underway, all eyes are on Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Ewers and the Longhorns will face the feisty Arizona State Sun Devils on New Year’s Day.
All due respect to Kenny Dillingham’s team, but the vast majority of the college football world expects Texas to win and advance.
From there, things will get really interesting as a matchup against the winner of the Oregon-Ohio State game will await in the semifinals.
As for Ewers, he was once considered a top NFL Draft prospect and one of the brightest names in the NIL landscape.
Ewers has seen his draft stock slip, despite leading Texas to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances.
Now, speculation is growing about his next move: declare for the draft, return to college, or enter the transfer portal.
If Ewers opts to return to college, his future may not be in Austin.
With the Longhorns seemingly preparing to transition to prodigy quarterback Arch Manning in 2025, Ewers could seek a new home.
Among the potential suitors, Notre Dame has emerged as a compelling possibility.
It should be noted that Irish head coach Marcus Freeman has previously stated that he has no plans to pursue transfer quarterbacks in the portal this time around.
However, Notre Dameās challenging 2025 schedule – featuring matchups against Texas A&M, Miami, and Arkansas – could force a change in strategy.
Freeman and Notre Dame have relied on the transfer portal for quarterbacks in recent years. In 2023, they landed Sam Hartman, followed by Riley Leonard earlier this year.
Leonard, who transferred from Duke, has had a stellar season, completing 66.8% of his passes for 2,293 yards, 17 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 751 yards and 15 touchdowns – a single-season record for a Notre Dame quarterback.
Leonard led the Irish to a 27-17 win over Indiana in the College Football Playoff first round, setting up a quarterfinal clash against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Leonardās eligibility ends after this season, leaving Notre Dame with a promising, yet unproven, quarterback group.
Current backup Steve Angeli, who started the 2023 Sun Bowl, along with young talents Kenny Minchey, C.J. Carr, and 2025 signee Blake Hebert, comprise the depth chart.
However, the addition of a proven star quarterback like Ewers could dramatically alter Notre Dameās prospects for 2025.
Reports from On3 Sports and Rivals.com indicate that the Irish are not currently pursuing transfer quarterbacks.
Still, Ewersā potential availability could be a game-changer. His NIL valuation, estimated at $2.8 million by On3, would likely soar if he entered the portal, as quarterback-needy programs across the country vie for his services.
There are rumblings that Bill Belichick and North Carolina could possibly be interested in Ewers as well.
Of course, the sole focus for everyone is one the College Football Playoff and the pursuit of the national championship.
Ewers and the Longhorns will face Arizona State at 1pm EST on New Year’s Day. Meanwhile, Freeman’s Irish have an 8:45pm EST primetime date with the Georgia Bulldogs later that night.
While all of the focus is on this week’s games, it’s certainly fun to look ahead and weed through all of the rumors.
What are your thoughts on the reports that Ewers could potentially pass up on the draft and transfer to Notre Dame instead?
At the end of the day, what do you think ends up happening???
