College football analyst gives his take for best destination for Quinn Ewers

Quinn Ewers and the Texas Longhorns once again fell just short of their ultimate goal, losing in the College Football Playoff semifinals for the second consecutive season. While Texas has a clear path forward with Arch Manning poised to take over as quarterback, Ewers’ future is far less certain.

The former Ohio State transfer recently completed his third season with the Longhorns and has another year of eligibility remaining. While he was initially expected to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft, injuries and inconsistency throughout this season have clouded his draft outlook.

One NFL general manager described Ewers as a “divisive project” according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. Opinions on his draft value vary widely, with some seeing him as a top-100 pick and others placing him outside of that range altogether.

Given these uncertainties, many believe Ewers would benefit from using his remaining eligibility to transfer to another program, where he could further develop and bolster his draft stock for 2026. One potential landing spot should be Notre Dame, according to J.D. PicKell of On3.

“Mike Denbrock and what he did with Jayden Daniels when he got to LSU versus when he left LSU—totally different players,” PicKell said. “If I’m Quinn Ewers, I see that maturation and progress and I’m like, ‘Okay, I’ll go there for a year, get more games, get better tape. Just become a better player.’”

Denbrock, who coached Daniels during his Heisman-winning season at LSU, is now the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame. His work with transfer quarterbacks like Daniels—and, more recently, Duke transfer Riley Leonard—could make South Bend an appealing destination for Ewers. Leonard’s 2024 campaign under Denbrock has been his best yet, setting career highs in completion percentage (66.4), passer rating (137.8), rushing yards (866), and touchdowns (16).

Ewers’ experience could also mirror recent NFL success stories. Quarterbacks like Bo Nix (61 college games at Auburn and Oregon) and Michael Penix Jr. (48 games at Indiana and Washington) leveraged extended college careers to refine their skills. Currently, Ewers has played in 37 games, amassing 9,128 passing yards, 68 touchdowns, 24 interceptions, and a 64.9% completion rate.

While Ewers previously expressed his intent to leave college football after this season right before the Cotton Bowl, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him reconsider. Former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, now at Miami, similarly reversed his decision to enter the NFL Draft. Should Ewers join Notre Dame, he would become the third transfer quarterback in as many years to lead the Fighting Irish.