When Texas kicks off its 2022 season against Louisiana-Monroe, all eyes will be fixated on the new starting quarterback for the Longhorns: redshirt freshman Quinn Ewers.

With a perfect 1.000 rating in the 247Sports composite rankings, Ewers’ recruitment journey was nothing short of flashy. With his trademark blonde mullet and his arm power, the current Longhorn quarterback received an absurd amount of attention at an early age. In fact, North Texas reportedly offered him a scholarship prior to his seventh grade season.

Yet Ewers’ hype will neither help the Longhorns nor himself succeed against the Warhawks on Saturday. Instead, the Ohio State transfer must live up to expectations far higher than your typical 19-year-old has to deal with. 

“Honestly, (the pressure) doesn’t feel much different for me,” Ewers said in a media availability last Friday. “Obviously, it’s a lot bigger of a stage right now. I try to stay out of the buzz and stuff like that.”

But succeeding at the quarterback position at the University of Texas has not exactly been the easiest task in recent years. While former quarterback Sam Ehlinger provided consistency in his four years at Texas, the Longhorns essentially have had a revolving door at quarterback since former quarterback and Heisman finalist Colt McCoy was drafted after the 2009 season. 

Growing up in Southlake, Texas as a Longhorns fan, the young gunslinger has seen the difficulties that come with being the Texas quarterback. Though Ewers said he vividly remembers when McCoy and former wide receiver Jordan Shipley were tearing up opposing defenses, he was just two years-old when the Longhorns last won the national championship.

If the redshirt freshman is to buck the trend of highly-projected Texas quarterbacks falling short of expectations, then it may be because of his calm demeanor. Head coach Steve Sarkisian described Ewers as someone who doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve and is confident, traits that Sarkisian likes at the position.

“I think the strongest part of my game is that you can never tell if we’re down by three touchdowns or up by five touchdowns,” Ewers said. “I feel like I’m pretty even-keeled when it comes to playing football.”

Despite a packed DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium anticipating his individual performance on Saturday, Ewers will not be without help. Besides having an offensive unit that includes junior running back Bijan Robinson and several other explosive players, Ewers can turn to Sarkisian, who was a former college quarterback himself, to help him handle his first start.

The Texas head coach said during a media availability on Monday that he expects to put an emphasis on what that Ewers has shown comfort in with when calling plays during the season opener. 

“I’ll say to Quinn, ‘Just allow us to coach you and trust the fact that we’re putting you in a really good position, whether it’s myself, Coach (AJ) Milwee, Coach (Kyle) Flood, and the entire offensive staff,’” Sarkisian said.

The season opener marks Ewers’ first meaningful live-action game since the 2020 UIL State Championship game. Nevertheless, it’s business as usual for the Longhorns’ new QB1.

“(I’m) excited, not anxious. Obviously there’s going to be butterflies in the locker room,” Ewers said. “But after that first play, it’s back to the basics.”