Ewers’ impending exit paves the way for Arch Manning to take over as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback in 2025.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Longhorns‘ starting quarterback is going pro.
Quinn Ewers, a redshirt junior at the University of Texas at Austin, announced Wednesday that he will forego his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ewers joined the Longhorns ahead of the 2022 season after spending a redshirt season at Ohio State. For three seasons with Ewers at the helm, the team saw ample success, including two trips to the College Football Playoff in the last two seasons. Over 36 total starts, Ewers completed just under 65% of his passes, throwing for 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns.
Ewers was widely expected to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft but instead opted to return as the Longhorns entered the 2024 season as national championship contenders.
“These past three years have been some of the best years I could have imagined. The relationships I’ve built between coaches and teammates will last forever,” Ewers said in his announcement video on Jan. 15. “I’m truly thankful for the opportunity to play football in my home state, at the best university in the world.”
The announcement shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise to Texas fans. Ewers had said before the Longhorns’ loss to Ohio State on Jan. 10 that he expected to enter the draft and would decide after the season ended. However, he had remained quite about his future after rumors he was offered $6 million to enter the transfer portal. Ewers told ESPN he “hasn’t even paid attention” to the rumors.
Notably, the 2025 quarterback class is viewed as being much weaker than the 2024 class, which saw six quarterbacks selected in the first 12 picks. NFL executives are divided on Ewers, with some believing he’s one of the top 100 prospects in the draft, while others aren’t as convinced.
Arch Manning is viewed as Ewers’ clear successor on the Forty Acres. The grandson of NFL great Archie Manning and nephew of legendary quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Eli Manning is widely viewed as a superstar and potential game-changing player waiting in the wings.
The former five-star recruit from New Orleans started two games this season while Ewers dealt with an abdominal injury, going 41-of-60 for 583 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions in wins over Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State. He has also seen spot duty towards the end of the season as a “change of pace” quarterback, often coming in to boost the running game and even running for a touchdown against Texas A&M.
Ewers joins a lengthy list of his fellow teammates who are setting their sights on the NFL.