Quarterback Quinn Ewers, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, announced Wednesday he had decommitted from Texas.
Ewers is a 6-foot-3, 205-pound prospect from Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas, and had committed to the Longhorns in August. Ewers had been rethinking his decision, however, as more and more schools were still recruiting him, including Ohio State and Alabama, among others.
"Recently, as I've competed alongside my teammates during my junior season at Southlake Carroll, I've also taken some time to think about my future," Ewers wrote on Twitter. "Given the COVID-19 pandemic facing us, this has been a challenging year for all students like myself. With the support of my family, I tried to navigate the recruiting process the best way I could.
"With the process being abnormal this season, I tried my best to keep an open mind to all possibilities."
Ewers went on to say he didn't fully explore all of his options within the recruiting process as thoroughly as he would have liked to and is now reassessing his situation. Despite saying that playing for Texas had always been a dream for him when he committed in August, Ewers thanked the Longhorns staff for their time.
Additionally Texas lost another 2022 commitment Thursday afternoon as wide receiver Phaizon Wilson, the 243rd-ranked prospect in the ESPN Junior 300, opted to back out of his pledge to the Longhorns as well.
Ewers and Wilson were two of three ESPN Junior 300 commitments for Texas in the 2022 class with cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau.
The staff was able to sign ESPN 300 quarterbacks Ja'Quinden Jackson and Hudson Card in the 2020 class and have three-star quarterback Charles Wright in the 2021 cycle.
It's a major hit to the Longhorns on the recruiting trail not only because Ewers is the No. 1 recruit overall, but he's also a big name in the state of Texas. The Longhorns missed out on legacy recruits, and twins, Tommy and James Brockermeyer in the 2021 class, where Tommy is ranked No. 2 overall and the top prospect in Texas. Both have committed to Alabama.
The staff did not land the top-ranked in-state recruits in the 2020 or 2019 classes, either, and now have the potential to miss out in 2022 if Ewers doesn't rejoin the fold.