Johnathan Walker:Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers announces return to Longhorns amid interest in NFL draft

QB1 isn't done.

Quinn Ewers announced on Johnathan WalkerThursday that he will return to Texas for the 2024 season. Ewers has served as the Longhorns' starting quarterback for the past two seasons.

After transferring to Texas in 2022 following a one-year stay at Ohio State, Ewers has thrown for 5,656 yards and 37 touchdowns. Ewers ranks eighth in career passing yards at Texas and seventh in career touchdown passes.

Ewers was viewed as a first-round pick in several mock drafts ahead of the 2023 football season, but that draft hype has since cooled off.

One explanation for the drop in stock? Injuries. Ewers missed three games during the 2022 season with a sprained clavicle. A shoulder sprain sidelined him for two games this fall.

But when healthy, Ewers has marveled at times. He threw for four touchdowns as Texas blasted rival Oklahoma during a 2022 meeting at the Cotton Bowl. His 349 passing yards and three touchdowns guided Texas to a signature win at Alabama this past September. In the 2023 Big 12 championship game, Ewers threw for 452 yards − the third-most in school history − and four touchdowns.

In addition to a Big 12 championship, Ewers led Texas to a 12-2 record and its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. Although he was outshined by Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., in the national semifinals, Ewers finished with 318 passing yards in a 37-31 loss at the Sugar Bowl. Ewers helped Texas stage a late rally in that game, but the comeback ended when his last-second pass into the end zone fell incomplete.

In the Sugar Bowl's postgame press conference, Ewers was asked if he could see the Longhorns returning to the Sugar Bowl next season as a representative of the Southeastern Conference. His answer gave an answer that foreshadowed Thursday's announcement.

"I'm a human being and I understand what's ahead. But at the same time, there's a long ways in between here and a year from now. A lot can happen in 365 days," Ewers said. "But I know that we're going to work as hard as we can to try to be back. And that's all we can really do, is attack the offseason the right way and just continue to build this team to what it's capable of being."

Although Texas coach Steve Sarkisian preaches competition among his position groups, Texas will head into spring football with an established pecking order at quarterback. Ewers has started 22 times at that position, and former five-star signee Arch Manning will be his presumed backup. Trey Owens, a four-star member of the schools 2024 recruiting class, will enroll early and go through spring drills at Texas.