Dear Longhorns

It’s always been my dream to be a Longhorn. 

Every Saturday for as long as I can remember, my family would be glued to the TV watching Texas play. Just the other day my mom was telling me about when I was two years old, and we watched Vince Young and the 2005 team win the Rose Bowl together. (Apparently, I had kid-size Longhorn gear and everything.) Stuff like that just reminds me how, at my core, it’s always been Texas. 

And now, 16 years and a transfer later, I’m getting a chance to create my own legacy with the Longhorns. Surreal right? 

For Vince to give me his stamp of approval on Twitter … that was an amazing moment for me. What he was able to do for the program, what he’s left behind — he’s a legend. So to be in the same conversation as him in any way is an honor. But I’m also not gonna get too far ahead of myself. I’m just focused on being the best quarterback I can be. 

I’m just trying to keep the main thing the main thing. 

And for me, that’s always been football. 

I’m a simple guy, so it wasn’t some big moment that started my quarterback dreams. Honestly, one of my favorite memories is just throwing the football around with my dad in our backyard. I know it might seem small. It’s not anything crazy like hurdling over somebody in middle school on the way to the end zone (haha, we can talk about that another time), or winning state championships, or breaking records. But I love that my football journey started with the man who introduced me to the game.

And now that I’m writing this Players’ Tribune article, I know y’all have questions. The biggest one probably being: Why UT now? Why did I go all the way to Ohio State in the first place?

… Can I be honest with y’all? 

There’s a lot of pressure that comes with this kind of thing. There was already a lot of pressure when I made this decision the first time, and now that I’ve gone through the process again, there might have been even more pressure the second time around. 

I didn’t just choose to go anywhere. I chose a program I truly believe in. I chose to come home.

- Quinn Ewers

Finding a balance between inside and outside expectations has always been challenging for me. On the outside, from the trolls to the people who love you, inviting so many opinions and perspectives into a choice like this is never ideal. And on the inside, I’m always trying to figure out how to balance having a lot of confidence in myself with also wanting to stay as humble as possible in order to see things clearly. 

It’s hard to make life-changing decisions when you’re only 17 or 18 years old. But this time I really just tried to block out all the noise, and focus on what I wanted for myself. It took a lot of prayer, but I’m confident in the choice I made. 

If you’re looking for a messier answer, you won’t find that here. I enjoyed my time at Ohio State, and I look back on it as a lesson that’s pushed me to where I’m meant to be. I’m grateful for the experience.

This new chapter in my life and career has been a long time coming, though, and I couldn’t be more excited about what’s next for this program. Coach Sarkisian and I have a good relationship, and I totally trust him and our staff. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here right now. It’s that simple. 

I didn’t just choose to go anywhere. I chose a program I truly believe in. I chose to come home.

So with that being said….

We’re ready for this year. 

There’s a different type of confidence in the air right now. It’s refreshing, and it’s exciting. It’s Coach Sarkisian’s second year, and everyone’s aware of the expectations. And we all know it won’t happen overnight. But we’re ready to rise to the occasion. 

As for me? 

Y’all should know I’m one of the most competitive people out there. Officially starting my quarterback career as a Longhorn is a dream come true, and I’m prepared to give everything I’ve got to help this program get to where it needs to be. 

It all starts now. 

Hook ’em.