Josh Pate expresses frustration as former Texas star Quinn Ewers falls to the 7th round after giving up $4 million

Quinn Ewers, the former Texas Longhorns quarterback and No. 1 recruit in 2021, was expected to be picked as early as the second round in the 2025 NFL draft. Instead, he dropped to the very last round, going 231st overall to the Miami Dolphins.

By leaving college early, Ewers turned down around $4 million he could have made through NIL deals if he stayed another year – possibly at Miami.

Instead, he’ll now receive a slotted rookie deal similar to last year’s No. 231 pick, New England Patriots tight end Jaheim Bell. He signed a four-year, $4.126 million contract. This is roughly what Ewers gave up in one season of college.

Some people are questioning his decision, saying he made a mistake. But college football analyst Josh Pate thinks the criticism is unfair.

“Is it not funny to anyone other than me,” Pate said, “that you got this group of casual fans that scream at kids that chase a bag in college football, and that same crowd is criticizing Quinn Ewers for turning down a bag to chase his dream?”

Pate defended Ewers, saying that choosing to stay loyal to Texas by not transferring to Miami or go pro was about more than money.

“Legacy matters. … Do you know over the next 30 years, how much it’s worth to Quinn Ewers on the speaking circuit, at public events and functions to be able to market himself as a legacy former Texas quarterback and nothing else. Just Texas quarterback.”

Steve Sarkisian heaps praise on Quinn Ewers

On Monday, Quinn Ewers’ former coach, Steve Sarkisian, spoke about him and how much he meant to the Longhorns program.

“He was a great player for us,” Sarkisian said on Monday. “I think about a lot of the people that come through this program over the last four years that have impacted the growth and trajectory of our program, and he’s right there near the top, if not at the top of the impact that he’s had, not only on the field but off the field.”

Sarkisian also said that Ewers never took money from Texas’ collective – everything he earned came from his own brand.

During his time at Texas, Ewers won 27 games as a starter, the fourth-most in school history. He also became the first quarterback to lead the team to back-to-back conference championship games.

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Garima’s inclination for sports began with Pitthu/Seven Stones, then cricket, when she was named the team captain in high school, and slowly built up to badminton, tennis, swimming, baseball, and, most recently, F1. There is no end to her love for Serena Williams, who she admires for her incredible impact not only on the game but on women around the world.

Apart from sports, she loves good storytelling in any form, be it a good fiction book, film, or even a vlog. Photography, going on drives, eating good food, and exercising are the things that keep her sound.

Currently studying the Japanese language, she aims to become fluent by the end of 2026.

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Edited by Akshay Saraswat