Despite being among the very-early favorites for the 2024 Heisman Trophy, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers isn't universally regarded as a superstar talent right now.
One defensive backs coach whose team played against the Longhorns last season told The Athletic's Bruce Feldman that Ewers' physical gifts outweigh what he does during games.
"I'm not that high on him," the coach said. "Overhyped. He has a good arm, and he did have a lot of talent around him, but you just see a bunch of stuff where you wonder what he's doing out there."
Coming out of Southlake Carroll High School three years ago, Ewers was the No. 1 prospect in the country by 247Sports' composite rankings. He played one season at Ohio State backing up C.J. Stroud before transferring to Texas.
Ewers has played a role in bringing Texas back to national prominence. He was terrific in a 34-24 win over Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium, throwing for 349 yards and three touchdowns.
There were some low moments along the way. Ewers was picked off twice on Texas' first two offensive possessions and lost a fumble in the third quarter in a 34-30 loss to Oklahoma. He only completed 55.8 percent of his attempts in the College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Washington.
DraftKings Sportsbook has Ewers at +900 (bet $100 to win $900) to win the Heisman Trophy. Georgia's Carson Beck is the only player with better odds at this point (+800).
Expectations are going to be high for Ewers and the Longhorns after winning the Big 12 title and making the College Football Playoff for the first time in 2023.
If there are any struggles for Ewers along the way, head coach Steve Sarkisian has Arch Manning, the top-ranked recruit in the 2023 class, on the bench ready to step in.
