It’s official. Quinn Ewers is back.
Texas No. 1 coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday that their senior quarterback would return to the starting lineup against No. 19 Oklahoma on Saturday. Ewers has missed more than two games since leaving Texas’ Week 3 win over UTSA in the first half with an abdominal strain.
Sarkisian’s announcement is not a big surprise. Ewers was reportedly on track to start this week after Texas was out in Week 6 and was listed as probable on the school’s injury report Wednesday. The Longhorns enter the game as 13.5-point favorites over a Sooners team missing at least four of its top receivers.
Arch Manning replaced Ewers against UTSA and ran for one touchdown while throwing for four more. He wasn’t as electric in his two starts against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State, but he was still more than competent as the Longhorns moved to 5-0.
Texas rose to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 on Sunday thanks to Alabama’s loss at Vanderbilt. The Longhorns stayed ahead of Ohio State despite the Buckeyes’ big home win over Iowa.
Ewers is 58 of 79 passing in two-plus games this season and has thrown for 691 yards and eight touchdowns with just two interceptions. His early-season stats are in line with his production from a season ago, when Texas won the Big 12 and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time. Ewers had the opportunity to head to the 2024 NFL Draft, but announced after the season that he would return for a third season in Austin after transferring from Ohio State.
After playing Oklahoma in Dallas on Saturday, Texas hosts No. 5 Georgia in Week 8 before a trip to Vanderbilt to close out October.