‘Enjoy going through adversity.’ New Dolphins QB Quinn Ewers is used to a challenge
Quinn Ewers has seen his fair share of adversity.
The No. 1 recruit out of high school, Ewers originally committed to Ohio State where he decided to redshirt in 2021. A year later, the five-star quarterback transferred to the University of Texas. Ewers went on to have a firm handle on the starting job for three seasons — until an oblique injury forced him to miss two games in 2024, leading to calls that Arch Manning, the most expensive backup in college football, should replace him.
Any number of these things could have broken Ewers, especially considering the way his Texas career ended: being on the wrong side of a strip sack that Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer returned 83 yards for the game-sealing touchdown.
“The adversity that I’ve gone through I don’t think many people would be able to come out the way I did,” Ewers said Saturday evening. “I just think that goes to show how mentally tough and mentally strong that I am and how I’ve kind of grown to be able to handle adversity. I enjoy going through adversity because I know I have a plan of attack. I feel like anything that has happened to me the past years of my college career is only going to help me in the long run.”
Ewers will begin his professional career in South Florida after the Miami Dolphins selected him Saturday with the 231st pick in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s not expected to start — that, obviously belongs to Tua Tagovailoa — but could potentially compete with Zach Wilson for the backup role. Such adversity has likely prepared him for the NFL.
“I’m just happy I went through it all,” Ewers said.
The Dolphins’ choice of Ewers came after an elite collegiate career. A three-year starter for the Texas, Ewers completed roughly 65% of his passes for 9,128 yards. He threw 68 touchdowns and 24 interceptions and added eight scores on the ground. As a senior, he tossed 31 touchdowns, tied for sixth in the FBS, and 12 interceptions en route to his All-SEC second-team selection.
What ultimately landed him in Miami, however, was heavy praise from Texas coach Steve Sarkisian.
A NFL quarterback “win, lose or draw, is going to show up the next day with the same work ethic, same drive, the same film study,” Sarkisian told Underdog NFL. “I think Quinn has that.”
Added Sarkisian: “I know what we asked of him protection-wise. I know what we asked of him from a progression standpoint and concepts and reading coverages and things of that nature. Some aspects, I think he almost translates better to that league when everybody around him is playing that same brand and same style of football. I’m not so concerned how high he goes, I’m more concerned about him going to the right place.”
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel first connected with Ewers during the Longhorns’ 2024 Pro Day. Since then, Sarkisian has raved “about his toughness, his mental toughness, the pushing through with the injury, the expectations, all the pressure with Manning there.”
“We talked to Coach Sarkisian about him and ‘Sark’ really likes and was high [on him] and was talking about him playing through the injuries this year which affected his play a little bit,” Grier said, later echoing Sarkisian’s praise of “his competitiveness and how he plays and how his teammates respond to him.”
“He was someone that we always had an eye on looking at and the opportunity at that point in the draft just made sense for us to pull the pick,” Grier added.
Ewers’ skill set fits somewhat perfectly within the Dolphins’ offense. Known for his quick release, the 22-year-old Texas native played in a similar system with the Longhorns. That’s because Sarkisian specifically utilized a lot of the Dolphins’ RPO concepts in past years.
“We get stuff that Miami does and we installed it at Texas when I was playing at Texas,” Ewers said, adding that Sarkisian recently attended Dolphins’ OTAs to pick McDaniel’s brain. “I’m excited to go into this facility, this franchise and learn kind of how they do it because I know we see it on film and we’re like, ‘OK, it looks like this is the first read,’ but I want to go see to the furthest extent how they teach that sort of stuff if that makes sense.”
The scheme similarity was something that also stood out to McDaniel as it allows for a more complete evaluation of a player.
“You can evaluate a lot of nuances that you typically have to forecast,” McDaniel said. “I think one of the things that gives him an advantage as a rookie just getting started is that overlap. I think the way that he orchestrates the offense from the motion timing and really anticipating things, there’s a fit there, so we’re excited to get him in the program and start working.”
What will happen in the next few weeks will ultimately determine Ewers’ place on the depth chart. Still, regardless of the ups and downs that have led him to South Florida, the only thing that truly matters is that he’s here.
“I’m just beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity the Dolphins have given me,” Ewers said. “I’m excited to meet all the new teammates I’m going to have. It’s going to be fun. I think it all happens for a reason. I’m excited to be a Dolphin.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 12:52 PM.
