Quinn Ewers enters the 2024 season as one of the top quarterbacks in all of college football.
Not only does Ewers have a legitimate chance to lead the Texas Longhorns to the national title – he also has a realistic shot to win the Heisman Trophy.
He surprised many by deciding to return to Austin for one final year with the Longhorns.
If he ends up accomplishing his goals, he will undoubtedly go down as an all-time Texas football legend.
As most know, Ewers’ college football journey didn’t begin with the Longhorns.
Despite being a Texas high school football superstar, Ewers decided to commit to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
He struggled to find playing time in Columbus and ended up getting lost in the shuffle.
He of course would end up transferring to Texas after the 2021 season.
Appearing on the “RG3 and The Ones” podcast, Ewers shared insights from his brief yet impactful stint at Ohio State.
Reflecting on his time there, he acknowledged the significant learning experiences and relationships he built with the Buckeyes.
“I learned a whole lot through coach [Ryan] Day,” Ewers said.
“You know, that whole quarterback room, we had some good quarterbacks in that room. And just learning from them being like the new guy coming I mean, I came in the middle of fall camp up there.
“So that’s like all I knew. That’s what college football was for me, was just fall camp. So you know, going into that was definitely tough.”
At Ohio State, Ewers had the opportunity to practice alongside standout quarterbacks, including C.J. Stroud, now a star with the Houston Texans.
Ewers credited Stroud with helping him enhance his game preparation and overall development as a quarterback.
“I learned a lot from C.J. and how to prepare for games and whatnot, and it was just, it was a good experience, but at the end of the day, just wasn’t the right fit for me,” he said.
Another former Ohio State quarterback who transferred out of Columbus to gain more playing time also recently spoke about the program.
Of course, I’m referring to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Despite being a highly-ranked in-star recruit, Burrow couldn’t climb his way up the depth chart. He wound up transferring to LSU where he would lead the Tigers to one of (if not THE) greatest seasons in college football history.
Everything worked out great for Burrow who won both the Heisman Trophy and the national championship and would go on to be drafted first-overall by the Bengals in 2020.
However, he credited Ohio State for helping develop him into the quarterback he became.
“100% … I wouldn’t be the person I am today that’s for sure,” Burrow said on “Pardon My Take.”
“I got to live the backup quarterback lifestyle back then and that was fun. Got that out of my system and then I was able to lock in.
“It was pretty fun for a couple of years … I wouldn’t say I was super happy, but I did have fun I would say.”
Getting back to Ewers – what are your thoughts on what he had to say about Ryan Day and Ohio State?
Quinn will be the first to admit he’s changed a whole lot since his days in Columbus. He’s matured and has gotten much more serious about football.
Having said that, do you think there’s a part of Day that wishes he could have convinced Ewers to stay with the Buckeyes?
Looking ahead – how do you think the two programs will do this coming season???