Longhorns fans should be excited knowing a confident, relaxed Quinn Ewers has a ‘force field of peace’ around him

Maybe it’s his own confidence or maybe it’s the fact he’s facing his old teammates in the Cotton Bowl. Something has Quinn Ewers feeling loose and relaxed.

Normally, Ewers is terse with his answers with reporters. One sentence or two, usually not much more.

But he’s been noticeably relaxed in the days leading up to the College Football Playoffs semifinals and admitted Wednesday his faith always keeps a “force field of peace” around him.

“That moment, whatever moment it is that I'm nervous about, it doesn't define who I am as a person, and it doesn't define who I am in God's eyes,” Ewers said at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center. “Understanding and knowing that has just kind of put like this force field of peace around me that I think allows me to be able to be calm in certain situations.”

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Ewers admitted “I still get nervous” before big games.

“I mean, I just love the game so much. And if you don't get nervous or a little bit of butterflies, I don't think you have that same love,” he said. “I've got butterflies since, you know, going into football games, since I was, you know, five, six years old. So I don't want that feeling to ever disappear and go away.”

Ewers and his teammates made the short trip from Austin to the Dallas-Fort Worth area on an American Airlines charter jet. It’s a short bus ride from the DFW airport north to the Grapevine hotel.

Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and offensive coordinator Kyle Flood both wore cowboy hats during their afternoon media sessions. Other players wore CFP running suits. But all eyes were trained on the quarterback from nearby Southlake, Texas, who left high school early to enroll at Ohio State and then transfer to Texas after one season.

Just how relaxed is Ewers. He admitted receiving a huge name, image and likeness payment for attending Ohio State out of high school. It was reported at the time to be $1.4 million. 

Then on Wednesday, Ewers admitted how much NIL has allowed him to reward his family. 

"I get to pay my mom a salary, which is nice, just because all the effort and work they put into me growing up," Ewers said. "When we were living in South Texas, they both quit their jobs and moved up to Southlake. We were living in the Grapevine area first, and then just for them and all the work they put in for me and my two sisters. 

"What I give back can't describe how thankful I am for everything they do for me." 

Teams take their cues from their leaders. If Ewers is this relaxed, that will help the whole team relax.

Texas is a six-point underdog in the matchup against Ohio State. The winner advances to the CFP national championship game to meet the winner of the Penn State-Notre Dame semifinal.