Quinn Ewers identifies overlooked leaders on Texas' roster

Quarterback Quinn Ewers is the clear-cut leader for Texas heading into the 2024 season on the heels of a 2023 year where he led the Longhorns to their very first College Football Playoff.

However, he’s not alone in the leadership circle. In fact, when speaking to The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon at the Manning Passing Academy this week, he revealed several other guys who have really stepped up to take on roles as leaders this time around. He first named several guys on the defensive end of the ball who have developed into captains of that unit.

“Yeah, I think Barryn Sorrell, Morice Blackwell. (Anthony) Hill has stepped up a lot,” Ewers commented. He also sees another potential future star running back in one youngster on the team.

“You know, Cedric (CJ Baxter) does a good job, young, but he’s doing a great job,” added Ewers, noting that the team as a whole has more leaders than in 2023. “There’s a couple more that I’m probably forgetting, but it’s a bigger group this year than it was last year, so that’s good.”

Of course, last season, Texas finished with just one loss in the regular season to Oklahoma and proceeded to win the Big 12 Championship to book their spot in the final edition of the four-team CFP. With Ewers back in the saddle as the premier quarterback in the sport, plus even more leadership and experience across the roster, the ‘Horns figure to make a splashy entrance to the SEC.

That’s something Ewers is certainly excited for, too, and he’s made no concessions when speaking about his expectations for Texas in the new conference.

“We’re going to be everybody’s biggest game, for sure,” Quinn Ewers added of the upcoming SEC schedule, a fairly bold declaration. But he says the Longhorns aren’t messing around, even in year one.

“Football definitely means a lot for that conference. We’re going into it full speed. We want to win the SEC Championship, and we want to accomplish what we were so close to accomplishing last year. I know that we have a team that’s more than capable of doing that.”

Ewers and the Longhorns memorably beat the SEC champion in 2023, coming away victorious vs. Alabama, earning a 34-24 win in Tuscaloosa. So, you can see where some of Ewers’ confidence comes from after he slayed a Nick Saban team in its own home stadium — an unbelievably rare accomplishment.