Bohls, Golden: Why Texas' Steve Sarkisian had no other choice but Quinn Ewers

Most college football season openers are two weeks away, and we're taking stock of everything — the top coaches in the country and the Big 12, the top players out there heading into the season, the juiciest Week 1 matchup, and what to make of Texas' new starting quarterback:

1. Why did Quinn Ewers get the starting quarterback job at Texas?

Bohls: It’s very clear that Steve Sarkisian believes Ewers has a much bigger upside and stronger arm than Hudson Card, who is starting his third season on campus and failed to impress the coaching staff enough to win the job. Ewers has yet to throw a college pass but has a swagger and a presence that Card does not. But stay tuned. I’ll be shocked if both don’t play meaningful minutes this year.

Golden: Without the benefit of having attended every practice, every workout and every team meeting, I have long believed that it was Ewers’ job to lose.  Despite zero college game experience, he won it due to the bigger arm, the bigger profile and ultimately the bigger upside. However, I would not be surprised if his leash is pretty short, as Card’s was when he won the starting position over Casey Thompson last season, only to lose it in the second game at Arkansas. Something tells me we will see both players get extended action by the time this thing is over.

2. Where do you rank Texas' Steve Sarkisian among Big 12 coaches?

Bohls: Not very high. After all, you are what your 5-7 record says you are. You have to put perennial contender Mike Gundy  of Oklahoma State first with Baylor’s defending champion Dave Aranda and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell next in line. You could make the case that Kansas’ Lance Leipold should be ahead of Sark because, well, you know, scoreboard and all, and Kansas State’s Chris Kleiman won four FCS championships at North Dakota State. I’d say Sark is in the bottom half with much to prove.

Golden: I would put him fifth behind Gundy, Campbell, Aranda and Brent Venables. The others haven’t done enough in the FBS just yet. Sark’s basically middle of the pack. I struggled with whether to place him in front of Venables, the first-time head coach at Oklahoma, but his 34-32 conference record isn’t great, so I felt better with him fifth.

3. Four freshmen are listed among Texas' top 10 offensive linemen. Good or scary?

Bohls: I’ll say good. The future ain’t going to get here until Texas embraces it. And there’s nothing to say that any upperclassmen are any better than the four rookies, including potential and maybe even likely September starters Kelvin Banks and D.J. Campbell.

Bohls: Texas will have to play its highly regarded freshmen sooner, not later

More: Texas loses two starters for the season to injuries in preseason scrimmage

Golden: Good for next season, but scary for this fall. Power Five conference football is a rough training ground for a freshman starter, particularly in the most physical area of the field — the trenches. Players like Banks, who signed as a five-star tackle, will have to grow up fast, but it won’t be easy for offensive line coach Kyle Flood, especially when they hit that freshman wall around mid-November.

4. Who are the top five college players in the state of Texas?

Bohls: This is tough. They are Texas’ Bijan Robinson, Texas A&M running back Devon Achane, Aggies cornerback Antonio Johnson, TCU wideout Quentin Johnson and Longhorns wideout Xavier Worthy barely over Baylor defensive tackle Siaki Ika.

Golden: This is a good looking group. I’ll also take (in order) Texas' Bijan Robinson, A&M's Antonio Johnson, Texas' Worthy, TCU's Quentin Johnson and A&M's Achane.

5. Should Texas A&M start redshirt freshman Haynes King or LSU sophomore transfer Max Johnson at quarterback?

Bohls: I’d go with the more mobile and younger King because of a higher upside; Johnson, with his experience at LSU with 14 SEC starts, makes him the perfect valuable backup.

Golden: Can Steve Sarkisian turn his decision on a quarterback into must-see TV on Saturdays?

Golden: I’d go with King due to his playmaking ability and his familiarity with the offense. Johnson brings in a load of confidence, but King was a Jimbo Fisher recruit who has been groomed for this moment, even though a leg injury in the second game cut his freshman season short.

6. What season-opening matchup do you find the most intriguing?

Bohls: Give me the renewal of the Backyard Brawl between West Virginia and Pittsburgh for the 105th time. I’ll take a rivalry game right off the bat over anything. Both teams will be breaking in transfer quarterbacks, so this one should be fun. And competitive.

Golden: The Top 10 matchup between Notre Dame and Ohio State promises fireworks, and I expect most of them to come from the Buckeyes. The Irish are always overrated in the preseason, so I’m intrigued to see if they can stay within 30 points of C.J. Stroud and Co.

7. Is the Big Ten's huge $7 billion media rights deal good for college football?

Bohls: Not really. It’s great for that league because it's got so much money to distribute to, as of now, 16 schools and maybe more if it expands further, which is likely. Once they start divvying out $80 million to $100 million a year, the rich will only get richer. But this and future SEC deals represent a monopoly and will hurt the smaller schools, which will get less exposure, less cash and a shrinking recruiting pool since the best players are likely to go to those two leagues in even bigger numbers than they do now.

Golden: It’s good for the guys cashing checks and great for the visibility of the young men playing on those teams. The NCAA stopped being about amateur sports decades ago. It’s where we are. The money is crazy, and as long as TV networks and streaming services are willing to spend, it will continue to grow. As long as millions keep watching, it’s good for the game. Supply and demand.

8. Was Deshaun Watson's 11-game penalty appropriate?

Bohls: Not even close. The Cleveland Brown quarterback deserves a minimum of one full season on top of his $5 million fine for preying upon women. Open-and-shut case. His hollow apology came off as self-serving and meaningless. I’d ask his two dozen victims if they think it’s fair punishment.

Golden: That $5 million fine is a drop in the bucket for someone who just signed a $230 million guaranteed contract. I would have been fine with Watson getting the full 17 games plus the fine. The carefully scripted statement by his representatives had hints of remorse, but his comments to reporters later in the day spoke of someone who isn’t accepting the blame for his actions, even though he has cut checks to keep 23 of the 24 victims quiet.

9. Do you think the San Antonio Spurs could eventually move to Austin?

Bohls: Eventually, yeah. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but franchises leave their roots all the time. Take the Raiders, for example. If that is indeed San Antonio’s grand plan, the Spurs could lay the groundwork for two and subsequently more games each season at Austin's Moody Center. And, if they remain on this downward trajectory, they might not draw all that well at the AT&T Center, allowing the Spurs to make the case that their home city isn’t supporting them as before.

Golden: Only over the dead bodies of a couple of million folks in the 210. The Spurs are San Antonio, and while they should have stuck their toe in the Austin pool years ago, the decision to hold a couple of contests at Moody merely shows the brain trust seeing the value in our city as a revenue stream. More important, they can get some new eyeballs on their product, which never hurts.  With that said, I don’t see them leaving. The team just means too much to that city.

10. Which head coach would you like to see return to the sideline?

Bohls: That’s easy. Give me the Visor. Steve Spurrier was one of the most innovative and entertaining coaches ever. He made college football fun. Just ask Tennessee.

Golden: Tony Dungy. He’s getting up there in years, but the NFL was much classier when Dungy was coaching the Indianapolis Colts. His understated approach was criticized by some who didn’t believe that nice guys could finish first, but he proved them wrong with a Super Bowl win. There are at least a dozen NFL teams that could hire him as an instant upgrade over the coach currently at the helm.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Why Quinn Ewers was named starting QB for Texas Longhorns in 2022