Last week the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2022, Quinn Ewers,decommitted from the University of Texas. This move is one that I had been predicting from pretty much the moment Ewers announced he was committing to the Longhorns.
We are now back to the question, where does Quinn Ewers commit to? While every school in the nation could pretty much use a quarterback of his talent, which one will be Cinderella? Below I talk about a few different programs that we could see pop up in the near future.
Texas
As much as I hate to say it, there is no reason Texas shouldn’t still be on this list. It is his dream school and still has plenty of talent on that roster (though the record might not show that). They still have five-star athlete Ja’Tavion Sanders committed for the Class of 2021, though he will probably play defense. The Longhorns also made the short list for five-star offensive tackle Savion Byrd out of Duncanville High School.
In Quinn Ewers de-commitment tweet he stated that he felt like he rushed his recruitment process and wanted to make sure he explored all his options. One thing that the University of Texas has over all the other schools on this list is distance. That gives the Longhorns will have a lot easier of an opportunity to provide a clear, and strong recruiting process. Who knows, maybe he does the rest of his recruitment and finds out Austin really is the place to be. Personally, I doubt it, but who knows!
Ohio State
Now here is my favorite to win Ewers over when it is all said and done. I have watched Quinn twice in person now, and I think Ryan Day could have a field day with this kid’s potential. The amount of ultra-talented recruits that are committing to Ohio State is astonishing. He would be surrounded by offensive weapons like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Julian Fleming, TreVeyon Henderson, and Jayden Ballard. The offensive line would include 2020’s No. 1 offensive tackle, Paris Johnson Jr., No. 2 OC Luke Wypler, and 2021’s No. 1 offensive guard Donovan Jackson.
The quarterback room that will be there after Justin Fields heads to the NFL will be good but not amazing. C.J. Stroud is a very good quarterback, and won Elite 11 MVP on his way to Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes also have a five-star quarterback committed to them in the Class of 2021 in Kyle McCord. Even so my money would be on Quinn Ewers to win that battle, possibly even as a true freshman.
North Carolina
My dark horse team is North Carolina; a true Cinderella. Mack Brown and his quick turn around of the Tar Heels football program is really the only reasoning I have behind this. We just saw Sma Howell have one of the best passing games in ACC history. Mack Brown was the coach of the Longhorns that Ewers watched growing up, and knows how to produce champions. Landing someone like Quinn Ewers would flip North Carolina’s status from title pretender to title contender.
The Tar Heels have received tons of defensive talent from their 2020 and 2021 commitments. Keeshawn Silver isn’t just a five-star defensive end, he is the fourth highest rated recruit in Tar Heels history. Four-star receivers Josh Downs and Gavin Blackwell give him options off the bat as well. Currently Mack Brown has yet to secure a commitment for the Class of 2022, which is fine. Getting the Southlake Carroll product on board early would be the exact person to get things rolling.
Clemson
Clemson is oddly somewhat of a dark horse candidate as well, but has all the reasons to be a serious contender in his recruitment. Once Trevor Lawrence evolves on over to the NFL, then sophomore quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei will take over. If Ewers is okay with redshirting, that gives Uiagalelei at least two years to show off to NFL scouts and then get drafted as well. The Clemson Tigers have all the receiving talent in the world, and have one of the best coaching staffs in the NCAA.
Not to mention they have consistently one of the best defenses in the nation. If things line up correctly, Quinn Ewers could walk into a similar situation Trevor Lawrence did in 2018. That is become the starter with a defense full of juniors and seniors that are probably early round prospects. Bryan Bresee, Myles Murphy, and fellow Southlake Carroll Dragon R.J Mickens all could still be on the team when he takes over. He would also possibly be throwing to E.J. Williams, Joseph Ngata, or even Emeka Egbuka.
