Breaking down top college football recruit Quinn Ewers' commitment to Ohio State

Ohio State added the No. 1-ranked prospect to its recruiting class for the third class in a row when 2022 quarterback Quinn Ewers announced his commitment on Thursday.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound quarterback has been widely known as one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He had originally committed to Texas in August, but decommitted in late October.

Since he's from Southlake, Texas, he was thought to be someone who could bring Texas up a notch on offense and in recruiting, in terms of helping keep other top in-state prospects home. That thought is long gone with his decommitment and now commitment to Ohio State, and the Longhorns are still searching for a quarterback in the 2022 class.

Such a high-profile decommitment raises questions for what happened at Texas, and such a giant commitment raises eyebrows of what could be at Ohio State. Here's a look at what happened with Ewers' decommitment, what it means for Ohio State and Texas going forward.

How did we get here?

Ewers had grown up a Texas fan and even said it was a dream for him to play for the Longhorns when he originally committed.

Growing up in the state, being able to play quarterback for your favorite team and the pride of Texas football is not an unusual thought process for local recruits. The problem for the Longhorns, though, is that Ohio State never stopped recruiting Ewers, even after he made his pledge to Texas.

"They basically just said they were going to keep recruiting me, if that was OK with me, when I committed," Ewers said.

As Texas was dealing with questions about its average play on the field, the team got off to a 3-2 start to the season. Four days after the team's win against Baylor, Ewers announced his decommitment.

"I felt like I jumped on it emotionally more than putting actual thought and my future into it," Ewers said of his initial decision. "It's not bashing [Texas] or anything, I just felt like it wasn't the right fit for me."

The COVID-19 restrictions on recruiting haven't helped the situation, as recruits haven't been able to take visits since the beginning of March, and Ewers was still building his relationship with the Ohio State staff and watching the Buckeyes get off to another fast start, especially on offense.

That relationship with the OSU coaches continued to grow and despite not being able to take a visit to Ohio State, Ewers was able to draw on a visit he took when he was younger to get a feel for the university and the coaching staff.

"I've been [to Ohio State] one time in eighth grade, that's when they offered me," Ewers said. "I went to a summer camp going into my freshman year. Ryan Day was the offensive coordinator and Coach [Urban] Meyer was the head coach at the time."

Ewers' decision to decommit from Texas and ultimately commit to Ohio State was more difficult because of the pandemic, but the feelings he had about the Buckeyes coaches, the success on offense and the success of quarterback Justin Fields convinced him to make the switch.

"[Ohio State] ends up being that constant powerhouse, everyone has the same goals and aspirations, and that's what I want to be around." Quinn Ewers

Decommitting from Texas, while living in Texas, is never an easy thing, but he knew it was the decision he needed to make.

"You just have to find your way and take advantage of opportunities you're given, take advantage of the time we're living in, because you don't know when this pandemic is over and what rules [there are] going to be," Ewers said. "So I've been trying to control what I can control. There's obviously going to be negative feedback, but I try not to pay attention to it, and I haven't gotten anything too bad."

What it means for Ohio State

The Buckeyes coaches had a good idea they were making headway, and they finally got the news that Ewers was committing on Thursday morning when the quarterback called Day, the head coach since 2019, to let him know he was going to be a Buckeye.

"I think they had me on speakerphone, because when I told Coach Day, I heard someone hollering in the back," Ewers said. "I just said, 'Good morning, Coach, just calling to make it official. I want to commit to the University of Ohio State and your coaching staff.'

"He was saying how pumped he was and how pumped the staff was."

Pumped is probably an understatement. The commitment meant Day and his staff landed the No. 1 ranked recruit the past three classes, with wide receiver Julian Fleming in 2020, defensive end Jack Sawyer in 2021 and now Ewers in 2022.

It also meant the staff now has a full quarterback room with a ton of talent. It's widely assumed that Fields will likely move on to the NFL after this season, but the staff signed two ESPN 300 quarterbacks in the 2020 class, C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller, and it has ESPN 300 quarterback Kyle McCord committed in 2021.

That success at quarterback and on offense was something that stood out to Ewers, and it played a big part in his decision to pick the Buckeyes.

"I've been able to watch the last year and beginning of this year, and obviously [Fields] has some pretty wild stats with completions, incompletions and touchdown ratio, and he's very efficient on the football field," Ewers said. "Obviously, that's a big deal, and to be able to have those guys around you that can go out and play football at a very high level, that's going to be great to be around, because it's guys that have the same goals as you do, or want to go as far as you do.

"It ends up being that constant powerhouse, everyone has the same goals and aspirations, and that's what I want to be around."

QB @QuinnEwers, the ESPN No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2022 class, committed to @OhioStateFB today.

Ewers had previously been committed to Texas, but decommitted on Oct. 28. (🎥: : @MaxPreps) pic.twitter.com/49fNAdsJeQ

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 20, 2020

Ohio State can thank its success on the field, but it can also thank Day and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis for building that trust and a relationship that was strong enough to pull a lifelong Texas fan out of the Longhorn State and up to Ohio.

Despite not being able to have in-person contact, Ewers says Dennis has been instrumental in his feelings about the Buckeyes, and he is a big part of why Ewers feels so comfortable choosing a school so far away during a pandemic.

"I feel like I'm really close with Coach Dennis, even when we're not talking football. We can talk about anything," Ewers said. "We'll start talking about something, then we'll go off a total different track and talk about cooking or grilling, anything. Because he's so young, that's probably one of the main [reasons] we've built such a good relationship."

Dennis is now giving himself some help on the recruiting trail with Ewers on board. Whenever you have a high-profile recruit such as Ewers, one who most every other recruit in the country knows, it sparks interest from other top prospects.

With Ewers committed, it means he can also start recruiting for the Buckeyes and to try to bring other talented prospects into the fold.

"I haven't really started [recruiting] yet, but I have a couple guys in mind that I'm going to reach out to," Ewers said. "I'll just say some high-level receivers from Texas. I'm just going to ask them what would happen if we teamed up."

What this means for Texas

That statement from Ewers speaks volumes -- losing out on one highly talented recruit could equate to losing out on even more in the future.

One of the recruits Ewers is likely referring to is wide receiver Caleb Burton, one of the top receivers in the country and one of the top prospects in Texas. If Ewers is able to pull more prospects out of the state and up to Ohio State, it's an even bigger loss for the Longhorns.

It's not a stretch to think that could happen, either, as Ohio State has landed five ESPN 300 recruits from Texas since the 2019 class. That includes receiver Garrett Wilson (2019), who has already had success with the Buckeyes.

The perception of losing out on the No. 1 recruit is never a good thing, but having that recruit decommit when he's an in-state star -- and he's someone who could have propelled your offense forward as well as helped your recruiting efforts -- it's going to raise questions.

Combine that with that scenario playing out during a season when Texas has lost to TCU and Oklahoma, and there are more dissenters than there would normally be if the team were having a good year.

That doesn't mean all is lost at Texas on offense. The staff has signed ESPN 300 quarterbacks Ja'Quinden Jackson and Hudson Card in the 2020 class and three-star quarterback Charles Wright in 2021.

Card and Jackson have a shot to take the reins once Sam Ehlinger is gone, and both are highly regarded.

The problem for Texas is what's playing out on the field and what is seemingly playing out on the recruiting trail in the 2021 class. The top in-state recruit, five-star offensive tackle Tommy Brockermeyer, is a Texas legacy as most of his family has either attended or played at Texas, but Brockermeyer and his twin brother, James, both committed to Alabama.

Of the 40 ESPN 300 recruits from Texas who have committed to a school, only eight have chosen Texas. Looking at the top 15 in-state prospects, 10 have made a commitment and only one has chosen Texas.

You combine those numbers with the optics of landing Ewers, then watching him decommit, and that's where the issue lies. Why are those top prospects not staying in-state? And can Texas turn it around on the field and start convincing those players to stay home? That's going to be the question the Longhorns staff needs to answer. -- Tom VanHaaren

Ewers' scouting report

Ewers is arguably the best natural passer in the Lone Star State at this stage since Kyler Murray. Ewers' release is quick and fluid, and his anticipation and timing of throws is on a high college level. What separates Ewers is his ability to remain calm and collected with his mechanics when under pressure. He sees the field extremely well, doesn't force throws, has touch and can add velocity when he needs to fit the ball into tight windows. He has elite physical traits as a passer, an ideal frame and the ability to also make plays on the ground. He's as close to the total package as you can get as a junior in high school.

While it is not surprising that Ohio State would be in on the top quarterback in the country, it is a bit surprising that he's not the athlete the Buckeyes have become accustomed to playing with. Ewers is a premier passer and way ahead of the curve in terms of football acumen, so the jump to the next level might not be as steep for him. There is no question that the Buckeyes value his accuracy and arm strength, which are complemented by equally impressive poise and leadership. He could very well be in the mix for the starting job the day he steps on campus. -- Tom Luginbill