4 months is not a very long time. However that will not cease Quinn Ewers’ 4 months in Columbus from being an overarching storyline of the 2025 Cotton Bowl, which is able to pit No. 8-seed Ohio State in opposition to (5) Texas within the semifinals of the Faculty Soccer Playoffs.
Ewers, when you aren’t conscious by now, reclassified from the 2022 class to the 2021 class in August of 2021 to enroll at Ohio State.
He had an uneventful few months on the sphere, however, in some ways, turned a transformational trendsetter within the NIL house with the transfer. Forward of the Cotton Bowl, let’s revisit Ewers’ time in Columbus and what led to that temporary marriage within the first place.
A large flip
Ewers was a foundational recruiting win for Tom Herman’s Texas workers when he dedicated on Aug. 14, 2020. Ewers ranked because the No. 1 participant within the nation within the 2022 class, committing to the college he grew up rooting for. Ewers would possibly as properly have been a mulleted savior within the minds of many Longhorn followers.
However that dedication lasted only some months as Ewers decommitted from Texas on Oct. 28 on the heels of an underwhelming 3-2 begin by the Longhorns, which put Herman squarely on the recent seat.
Ewers dedicated to Ohio State a number of weeks later, a pledge that caught for nearly a 12 months regardless of aggressive pushes from groups everywhere in the nation, together with eventual Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian; Texas fired Herman following the 2020 season.
An NIL-motivated reclassification
What if I advised you Kombucha is the explanation the No. 1 participant within the nation skipped his senior season of highschool soccer?
If there’s ever a “30 for 30” on the NIL period, that might simply be the opener, as a result of Ewers’ reclassification from the 2022 to 2021 class was the primary actual bombshell of the NIL panorama. Ewers would have appreciated to play his senior 12 months of highschool soccer for Texas energy Southlake Carroll Excessive College, however the College Interscholastic College League (the UIL) — the group that oversees highschool sports activities in Texas — and a state legislation prevented Ewers and another Lone Star State public faculty athletes from making a living off their identify, picture and likeness.
So, with a set of NIL offers valued at over seven figures, together with an endorsement provide on the desk from Holy Kombucha, Ewers opted to skip his senior 12 months all collectively and enroll a 12 months early in Columbus. He made the choice in August and arrived promptly in Columbus, the place he was a number of legs behind the QB battle to switch Justin Fields. Ohio State’s teaching workers didn’t fairly push Ewers to make the choice: Not solely did it crush the dear reps he may have gotten as a highschool senior, however it additionally created a bottleneck in its quarterback room (Kyle McCord was in Ewers’ class) and in addition put into movement an accelerated timeline for Ewers to both keep or switch, as would play out a number of months later.
“It was unusual the way it all shook out,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day stated final week in his pre-Cotton Bowl press convention. “He determined to come back, actually, in the course of preseason camp for us. And so, it was somewhat bit unusual. However once more, with faculty soccer, you look to adapt the perfect you’ll be able to.”
On the time, 20 states nationally had legal guidelines in place that allowed highschool athletes to capitalize on their NIL. Now, 40 states accomplish that in a restricted or outright style. Texas nonetheless prohibits it, nevertheless.
An uneventful 4 months
Ewers enrolled in August and performed a complete of two snaps, each in opposition to Michigan State, his freshman 12 months. He didn’t throw a move, largely regulated to fourth-string responsibility behind C.J. Stroud, Kyle McCord and Jack Miller. Ewers did not even journey to each Ohio State away recreation through the 2021 season as journey rosters are restricted.
“I realized quite a bit whereas I used to be there beneath coach (Ryan) Day after which CJ (Stroud), and simply that complete room was superior to be round, and tremendous grateful for that point that I bought to spend there,” Ewers stated this week. “I realized a complete lot. So, I do not remorse any determination I made on going or something like that. However the principle purpose I went was, I felt like I had an important relationship with the teaching workers, and you already know, they have been successful a number of video games, and I needed to go be part of one thing like that.”
Why Ewers left Ohio State
Ewers opted to enter the switch portal on Dec. 3, 2021, shortly after the completion of Ohio State’s common season. He ended up transferring to Texas 9 days later, selecting the Longhorns over Texas Tech and TCU.
As for why Ewers departed Columbus, it is a easy calculation — a direct path to the sphere.
Stroud broke out as one of many high quarterbacks within the nation through the 2020 season, and he had a minimum of yet another 12 months to play in 2021. Ewers entered the portal in search of the chance to start out.
“C.J. actually had an important season that season, and (Quinn) determined he actually needed to play,” Day stated. “It was disappointing for us, however we definitely understood.
Had Ewers stayed in his authentic 2022 recruiting class and signed with Ohio State, he seemingly would have been Ohio State’s starter within the 2023 season, over McCord, as soon as Stroud left. As a substitute, he gained Texas’ beginning job in 2022 as Stroud was getting into his second season because the Buckeyes’ starter.
Now for the reunion
The Buckeye in Ewers hasn’t fairly left him. Earlier this season forward of Texas’ recreation in opposition to Michigan, Ewers referred to the Wolverines as “The Crew Up North,” a reference to how Ohio State talks about its rival.
“I believe it is humorous, to be sincere with you,” his dad, Curtis Ewers, advised CBS earlier this 12 months. “It is the ‘Crew Up North’ to Quinn. There is no doubt about it. However he sort of says it tongue-in-cheek, proper?”
There are additionally loads of acquainted faces in Columbus for Ewers past the Buckeyes teaching workers. Actually, most of the gamers defending him Saturday have been a part of Ohio State’s 2021 class with Ewers. That group contains star defensive ends JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, standout DT Tyleik Williams, beginning security Jordan Hancock and beginning cornerback Denzel Burke.
Actually, the 2021 class is the inspiration of Ohio State’s 2024 run, and there is a nice irony in the truth that one of many two quarterbacks from that class — the opposite being Kyle McCord — is probably the most important hurdle of their approach for a nationwide championship.
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