Domino Effects: Quinn Ewers' commitment to Texas
Top 2022 quarterback Quinn Ewers sent shockwaves through the recruiting world on Friday when the Southlake (Texas) Carroll star committed to Texas over Oklahoma, Ohio State and many other programs.
It was a massive recruiting victory for the Longhorns and, with the 2022 class rankings coming out next week, Texas clearly landed arguably the best quarterback among that group.
This is not a story about Ewers’ commitment though. With him pledged to the Longhorns, many other top recruits could now get even more seriously involved with Texas because they want to play alongside Ewers.
Today, we examine the other prospects that could be impacted by his decision.
RELATED: The nation's top 2022 QB, Quinn Ewers, commits to Texas
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
THE RECEIVERS
Armani Winfield has to be pretty close with Ewers because the 2022 four-star receiver hinted to South-Central recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman that a huge commitment was coming in recent days and then Ewers pulled the trigger to the Longhorns. It definitely looks like Ewers was keeping Winfield filled in on his decision-making process and that’s big since they live only about 30 minutes from each other and Winfield is also serious about Texas, Oklahoma and others.
He’s not the only receiver Ewers’ decision could persuade. Caleb Burton is from the Austin area at nearby Del Valle, Texas, and now having clarity on which quarterback he would be playing with at Texas could be really meaningful. Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma might have the slight edge for Burton now but teaming up with Ewers - and playing down the road - is going to be an intriguing pitch for the Texas coaching staff moving forward.
The third receiver to watch that could be majorly impacted is Frisco (Texas) Liberty’s Evan Stewart, a speedy slot receiver who could be one of Ewers’ future targets as well. Auburn, Texas A&M, TCU and others have jumped out early on but again, with Ewers on board, receivers will want to play with a quarterback of his skill level.
Farrell’s take: I’m a huge fan of Winfield and think Ewers' commitment helps Texas with him in a big way. What’s important here is that elite wide receivers from Texas and beyond will now look at Texas as hard as they have looked at Oklahoma since the Sooners landed Caleb Williams. Ewers is the kind of big name that can change a receiving recruiting class instantly.
THE OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Once committed, all quarterbacks look to load up with offensive linemen in their class and there are none better in the state of Texas than Humble (Texas) Atascocita’s Kam Dewberry. It might be an uphill battle for Dewberry’s services right now with Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and others involved but Ewers might be able to pull a major coup.
Others are available as well and also highly-ranked. Arlington (Texas) Bowie’s Devon Campbell is definitely one to watch as Texas is considered a major front-runner for him and Ewers’ commitment cannot hurt. And the Longhorns’ staff has consistently pursued Houston (Texas) Summer Creek’s Kelvin Banks even through his former commitment to Oklahoma State.
Dewberry is a long shot but Campbell and Banks are very realistic options as all of them would be huge in-state offensive line pledges for the Longhorns.
Farrell’s take: Offensive line is an area where Texas needs to step it up as evidenced by the loss of the Brockermeyer brothers in 2021. A run offense is more important to an offensive lineman than a quarterback but the NFL scouts notice offensive linemen of good quarterbacks a lot more often than not. This will impact a few of them and give the Longhorns a boost in an area of great need.
THE BIG-TIME DEFENSIVE BACK
After Ewers announced his commitment to Texas on Friday, Houston (Texas) North Shore five-star cornerback Denver Harris retweeted it and any indication that it could influence Harris’ decision would be interesting as well.
LSU and Texas seem to be the front-runners for Harris, who also has SEC big wigs like Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M in the running. And while Ewers plays quarterback and Harris is on the defensive side of the ball, it could still be compelling to play together, stay in-state and be a major part of the rebuild going on in Austin.
Farrell’s take: Defense? Yep, an elite quarterback can certainly impact defensive players especially defensive backs. The best want to go against the best each day in practice and defending receivers against a quarterback like Ewers is attractive to Harris and others.
Sam Spiegelman contributed to this report.