Texas Tech football: Landing Quinn Ewers was always a luxury, not a necessity
It was a fun week and a half wasn’t it? And make no mistake, the Texas Tech football program’s pursuit of 5-star Ohio State transfer QB Quinn Ewers was as legitimate as it was exciting to follow. But now that the second-highest-rated recruit in history has decided to play for the Texas Longhorns, Tech fans should not fret because our program remains as solid at the QB position as it has been since Pat Mahomes was leading the way with jaw-dropping play after jaw-dropping play.
Landing Ewers was never a necessity for Texas Tech. Rather, it was a luxury. In the Red Raiders’ world, he was akin to buying an $80,000 Corvette when you already have a perfectly fine F-150 sitting in the garage.
In other words, Tech will be just fine at the QB position for the foreseeable future. And that should make losing out on Ewers much easier to swallow.
With the trio of Tyler Shough, Donovan Smith, and Behren Morton all on campus and ready to compete for the starting QB job this spring, Texas Tech has more and better options at that position than it has had since the Leach era. And all of them have done more in their college careers than Ewers has so far.
Now, that isn’t to suggest that Ewers won’t eventually be a productive college player. His pedigree and talent indicated otherwise. And the reason he didn’t play at Ohio State was that he was behind Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud, not because he couldn’t cut it. But to just assume that he’s going to live up to his billing as arguably the most talented QB to ever come from the high school ranks takes a huge leap of faith.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech already has an idea of what it has in its QB room with two of the three players at that position having already played significant snaps at the FBS level. And what a difference that is for the program.
Gone are the days when your QB room consisted of Alan Bowman, Jett Duffey, and McClane Carter. Or how about prior to that when your options at QB were Nic Shimonek, Duffey, and Carter? No offense to those players but none were ever going to change the trajectory of Texas Tech football. What’s more, each of them got their shot and none could prove to be a long-term solution for the program.
But in Shough, Smith, and Morton, Tech likely has a current solution as well as the QB of the future. That’s a refreshing reality for Red Raider fans.
Shough will likely enter the offseason as the favorite to win the QB1 job for 2022. Though he missed the final eight games of the season with a broken collar bone, he remains the most accomplished and experienced QB on the roster.
He has started eleven games in his career thus far, which is essentially a full season’s worth of competition at the Power 5 level. What’s more, he helped lead Oregon to the 2020 PAC 12 title (though he did split time with another QB that season).
Thus far, he’s 7-4 as a starter, a mark that is nothing to sneeze at. And he gives the Red Raiders a veteran presence in the QB room, something that certainly shouldn’t be taken for granted.
As for Smith and Morton, the name of the game for both is potential. Smith flashed some brilliance in his first career start against Iowa State this season when he passed for 322 yards and three touchdowns to lead Tech to the upset victory. And for the year, he finished with a 63.1 completion percentage and six TDs to only two INTs while making three starts.
Smith has all the tools that you would want in a starting QB. He has a huge arm and can make any throw asked of him. What’s more, he’s got the ability to pick up yards with his legs, something that adds an extra dimension to any offense. Also, at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, he should be more durable than other Red Raider QBs of recent years.
As for Morton, he’s the highest-rated QB recruit to sign with Texas Tech since 247Sports has been ranking recruits. In fact, he’s the 8th-highest-rated signee Tech has landed at any position. Thus, there’s reason to be excited about what he could eventually become for the Red Raiders. And now, with a season of practice and a few in-game reps under his belt, he could be ready to challenge for an increased role next fall.
With new offensive coordinator Zach Kittley taking over the Red Raider offense, it would be safe to assume that this offseason will be a three-headed race for the starting QB job. Given his experience, Shough might be the slight favorite but Smith and Morton have all the tools necessary to make this competition interesting.
That should be reassuring to Texas Tech football fans. Sure, landing Quinn Ewers would have been massive for this program but just the fact that new head coach Joey McGuire had Tech as a legitimate contender in that battle speaks volumes about what he can do as a recruiter.
As for the QB position, there are three players still in the program who are viable options to lead this team forward next season and beyond. That’s why missing out on Ewers doesn’t sting nearly as bad as it might have in other years.