Ryan Day still doesn’t know if ‘that’s legal or not’ but he offered Texas’ Quinn Ewers a scholarship in the 8th grade
Ewers transferred from Ohio State to Texas after the 2021 season, triggering a huge shift for Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns
A wry smile crossed across Ohio State coach Ryan Day’s face Friday when asked about Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers.
The Buckeyes remember Ewers as the shaggy, bleach-blonde freshman who reclassified at Southlake Carroll to enroll early in Columbus in 2021. Day goes back even further.
Day remembers when Ewers was a fresh-faced eighth grader who tore it up at an Ohio State football camp. Now, he'll see the close-cropped Ewers wearing burnt orange in the Cotton Bowl as part of the College Football Playoffs semifinals.
“He was one of the first eighth graders that I ever offered,” Day told reporters Friday via Zoom. “He was in our camp here in the Woody, and I saw a young — he’s a boy at the time, really, who just had a tremendous release. And I remember grabbing him and grabbing his dad, and said, man, you got a bright future.
“I don't know if this is good or bad, but we’re going to offer you a scholarship to Ohio State, even in eighth grade. Again, I don’t know if that’s legal or not but we did.”
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Ewers grew up in Southlake wanting to be a Longhorn. But at that time of Ewers’ recruitment, Texas was going through a rocky relationship with then-coach Tom Herman. The Ewers’ family and the five-star standout himself were spooked out of coming to Texas all together.
Herman’s dismissal and Steve Sarkisian’s didn’t happen until January 2021, long after Ewers had put all the wheels in motion to go to Ohio State.
So Ewers, the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruit in 2021, went to Columbus instead of Austin. The only issue was so did C.J. Stroud, who won the starting job and became the Big Ten offensive player of the year.
“It was strange how it all shook out,” Day said Friday. “He decided to come really in the middle of preseason camp for us. And so it was a little bit strange. But again, with college football, you look to adapt the best you can. And then C.J. really had a great season that season, and (Ewers) decided he really wanted to play.
“And boy, it was disappointing for us, but we certainly understood.”
Quinn Ewers delivered biggest throws of his Longhorns’ career in double-overtime Peach Bowl stunner over Sun Devils
It felt like the perfect setup to a blowout victory. Texas was in total control in the Peach Bowl, and ESPN reported that Cam Skattebo was “vomiting profusely” on the Arizona State sideline. And somehow, Skattebo led the Sun Devils out of a 16-point hole. Texas’ Bert Auburn missed a potential go-ahead field goal late, […]
Ewers’ decision to transfer was one of the signature early moments of the Sarkisian era. Landing the transfer quarterback was viewed as a radical game-changer. It prompted multiple linemen, including Kelvin Banks Jr., to commit to UT as well.
Ewers has not played a full season the last three years due to various injuries. But Ewers is already one of the best statistical quarterbacks in UT history, and he led the Horns to the Big 12 title in 2023 and back-to-back CFP appearances.
Ewers’ throws in overtime of the Peach Bowl will also go down as some of the best ever by a quarterback wearing burnt orange.
“From afar, I’ve watched him, and he's got a lot of talent. He’s a really good player,” Day said. “He comes from a great family, and he's had a great career at Texas, and a lot of people here still have good relationships with him, and think the world of them.”
