It has always been redshirt freshman Quinn Ewers’ dream to play for the Longhorns.

Growing up in Southlake, Texas — a manageable 3.5-hour drive up I-35 from campus — Ewers spent his fall afternoons tossing around the football with his dad and watching Texas football legends like Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley connect for touchdown passes.

Over a decade later, Ewers is set to forge his own path after officially being named the Longhorns’ starting quarterback on Aug. 19.

Considered to be a generational talent, Ewers was the first quarterback since fellow Longhorn Vince Young to receive a perfect 1.000 composite ranking from 247Sports while being recruited in high school. At Carroll Senior High School, he amassed 6,400 yards and 73 passing touchdowns in two seasons.

Initially committing to Texas and former head coach Tom Herman in August 2020, Ewers flipped his commitment to Ohio State that October and reclassified to the class of 2021 to take full advantage of NIL opportunities in Ohio.

After spending a season at Ohio State learning under head coach Ryan Day and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis, Ewers transferred to Texas.

“There’s a lot of pressure that comes with this kind of thing,” Ewers wrote in an article for The Players’ Tribune. “It’s hard to make life-changing decisions when you’re only 17 or 18 years old.”

Fully invested in second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and his revamped coaching staff, Ewers was ready to compete for the same team that he watched win the 2005 National Championship in his childhood home.

“Coach Sarkisian and I have a good relationship, and I totally trust him and our staff,” Ewers said. “I didn’t just choose to go anywhere. I chose a program I truly believe in. I chose to come home.”

Entering spring training, it was evident that there would be a quarterback battle between Ewers and sophomore Hudson Card, last season’s initial choice at starting quarterback and a highly-touted recruit himself.At the annual Orange-White spring game in April, Ewers showed flashes of potential; with plenty of time in the pocket, the Southlake product launched an approximately 60-yard touchdown pass to junior transfer Isaiah Neyor, exciting the fans scattered around DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.

With Card having starting experience and a natural maturity leading Sarkisian’s offense, the quarterback battle extended through to the middle of fall camp before Ewers was named the starter. While Sarkisian acknowledged that there will be growing pains with starting a young quarterback, he has full faith in Ewers’ big arm.

“Quinn can make all the throws – I feel comfortable about his playmaking ability,” Sarkisian said. “His growth in the system has been one where we can really kind of see where it’s going to head under him. I’m excited about it.”

Moving forward from his previous two years of uncertainty and turbulence, Ewers is prepared to give everything he has to grapple with the high expectations of the Longhorn faithful and “help (his) program get to where it needs to be” as the starting quarterback.

“Coach Sark once told me, ‘that’s why the rearview mirror is so small, and the windshield is so big,’” Ewers said in a March 29 availability. “You put the past behind you and just focus on what’s ahead. (I’m) super excited about what’s ahead for sure.”