Texas HC Steve Sarkisian on Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers: "I think Quinn is a championship level QB and I think he’s a 1st-round level QB.”

The Texas Longhorns had a quarterback competition on their hands between the incumbent Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning. It's been a few months since head coach, Steve Sarkisian, named Ewers the starting quarterback for the program.

The Longhorns head coach spoke on Tuesday, July 11, at the Big 12 Media Days and discussed the confidence he has in Ewers.

"I thought our team needed to know who our guy was, who they were going to follow," Sarkisian said. I thought naming Quinn [Ewers as starting quarterback] was important to Quinn so he can continue to develop the confidence in himself in what he's capable of being. I think Quinn is a championship level quarterback and I think he's a first-round level quarterback." h/t On3

Coach Sarkisian heaped a lot of praise onto the sophomore quarterback but will he be able to lead the Texas Longhorns to prominence?

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How well will Quinn Ewers look as the Texas Longhorns starting quarterback?

Quinn Ewers had an incredible 2022 season as a freshman but was sidelined for almost a month after an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. However, that did not stop him from having incredible numbers as he was 172-of-196 (58.1% completion percentage) for 2,177 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. Even with the loss of running back Bijan Robinson, as he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2023 NFL draft, this team is incredibly talented.

With his freshman season under his belt and getting used to the speed of college football, Ewers should do well here. The Texas Longhorns have the 10th-best odds to win the 2023 National Championship as they have consensus odds of +2200.

Quinn Ewers should have an excellent season in his second year under Steve Sarkisian's offense, with the added pressure of knowing that one of the top quarterback prospects in Arch Manning is waiting for him to make a mistake. Texas Longhorns should do extremely well in their final season in the Big 12 before making the jump to the Southeastern Conference.

Can the Longhorns improve on last season?

The program was dealing with injuries throughout the season and should be able to do better here. For starters, the quarterback position is vastly improved. Steve Sarkisian should do well in providing an offensive outlook that favors the passing game and Quinn Ewers should complete at least 60 percent of his passes.

They were third in the Big 12 last season with an 8-5 (6-3) record and should easily be a nine-win team in the worst-case scenario.