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Quinn Ewers Makes Ultimate NIL Admission

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Grant Bricker | Last updated May 18, 2025 4:38 PM ET

The Texas Longhorns are without Quinn Ewers after he left for the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Miami Dolphins drafted Ewers in the seventh round of the draft. In a recent interview with On3's Nick Schultz, Ewers used the word unconventional to describe his NIL experience in college football.

NIL became legal in college football in July of 2021.

Ewers started his college career with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2021. He was the top recruit and quarterback in the 2021 class. He played in one game for Ohio State in the 2021 season and then hit the transfer portal.

He was the No. 2 quarterback in the On3 Transfer Portal Industry Rankings, committed to Texas, and the rest is history.

"The way that it’s kind of been set up for me has been nothing short of unconventional, I think I would say,” Ewers said. “Skipping my senior year to enroll at Ohio State early, and then be there for not even a whole calendar year, and then decide to go back to my home state of Texas, and really, turn around a program that hadn’t really won anything in years, consistently."

When Ewers left Texas, his NIL valuation was $4.5 million.

He threw for 9,218 passing yards, 68 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.

Not everyone agreed with Ewers' decision to leave for the NFL. If Ewers had stayed at Texas for another year, he reportedly would have made $8 million in NIL money, per 247Sports' Chip Brown.

Some criticized the move, but not Josh Pate. Pate credited Ewers for focusing on legacy more than NIL.

Now that Ewers is gone, Texas' starting quarterback for 2025 is expected to be Arch Manning. The Longhorns have already looked in the portal for Manning's backup, bringing in former Troy quarterback Matthew Caldwell.

Texas opens the 2025 season against Ohio State on Aug. 30.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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