Texas DB Michael Taaffe, OL DJ Campbell Among Players Considering Return
With a trip to the title game in Atlanta on the line, the No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns and No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes played in The Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on Friday evening. It was Ryan Day’s Ohio State team that advanced to the title game to take on No. 7 Notre Dame, but there may not be a bigger talking point amongst fans than Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Fans have picked apart his performance, which saw him complete 23-of-39 passes for 283 yards and two scores, along with a pick in the 28-14 loss. Fans have also been debating if he was set up to succeed in big moments during the game, which has played a role in the discourse around whether or not he should return to college football to try and boost his draft stock and build off of shaky 2024.
Ewers entered the season as a Heisman contender and in the conversation as a possible first-round pick, but as revealed by ESPN’s Pete Thamel before the game, NFL teams have him graded anywhere from a second to sixth-round pick. There have also been reports of him having a $6 million offer to return to college football and enter his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal. A path that Ewers revealed to Thamel he doesn’t plan on taking, but one that NFL draft insider Todd McShay thinks is the right move for the third-year starter. Something he revealed on the latest episode of the Ringer’s “McShay Show.”
“I don’t know that another year with Quinn Ewers is necessarily going to change him like I think it could elevate a Carson Beck, Garrett Nussmeier,” McShay said. “If I’m being totally honest. I think there’s a difference. But I also think we didn’t see the best of Quinn Ewers this year. Whether it was the oblique injury.
Whether it was the ankle injury at times, whether it was the pressure of playing at Texas which is a lot more overwhelming than people think. “When I talk to NFL teams and I’ve solicited and I’ve gotten unsolicited,” McShay said. “When I’m talking to guys in the league…Landslide ‘he needs to grad transfer.'” When asked by his co-host what advice he’d give to Ewers if he was on the advisory committee, McShay quickly replied, “Go back to school.”
The problem that arises with Ewers returning to school is that most people are under the impression that Texas coach Steve Sarkisian will be handing the reins to his backup, Arch Manning, in 2025. A decision that would force Ewers to transfer to another program and risk possibly hurting his draft stock even more. With a class that features only two projected first-round quarterbacks, there is certainly room for Ewers to work his way up draft boards. Whether or not it’s as high as he aspires to go is to be determined.
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