"I had the opportunity to have some good money": Quinn Ewers reveals why he chose Ohio State as a freshman

When Texas native Quinn Ewers decided to leave Southlake Carroll High School early and enroll at Ohio State instead of an in-state school, many in the college football world were surprised. Ewers, who had committed to the Texas Longhorns in August 2020, flipped his commitment to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes in November 2020.

The following year, he enrolled and made an appearance in a game against the Michigan State Spartans. Four years later, during an interaction with On3 on Monday, Ewers revealed the reason behind his decision to choose the Buckeyes. According to the quarterback, it had to do with restrictions on Texas high school athletes earning income.

"One of the main things was that the Texas legislature wasn't going to allow #txhsfb players to be paid," Ewers said.

Faced with an unprecedented opportunity, Ewers and his family weighed their options.

"My family and I had a pretty big opportunity in front of us," he added. "We felt like it was a good decision for me to forego my senior year and enroll early at Ohio State. I had the opportunity to put some good money in our pockets as a family."

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Quinn Ewers' recruitment story from Ohio State coach Ryan Day

Quinn Ewers was the No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 class. He reclassified to the 2021 class and was still seen as a top quarterback by 247Sports and Rivals.com.

Ahead of the Cotton Bowl on Friday, Ohio State coach Ryan Day looked back at his recruitment of Ewers as an eighth grader.

“He was one of the first eighth-graders that I ever offered,” Day said (per SI). “He was in our camp here in the [Woody Hayes Athletic Center]. He was a boy at the time, who just had a tremendous release. I remember grabbing him and grabbing his dad and saying, 'Man, you got a bright future ahead of you. I don’t know if this is good or bad, but we’re going to offer you a scholarship to Ohio State, even in eighth grade.'

"Again, I don’t know if that’s legal or not, but we did. Then we went through the process. And boy, it was strange how it all shook out. He decided to come, really, in the middle of preseason camp for us. So it was a little bit strange. But, with college football, you look to adapt the best you can.”

After taking two snaps against the Spartans, Quinn Ewers' time at the Buckeyes came to a close as he announced his transfer to the University of Texas in December 2021.

As fate would have it, Ewers will be matched up against the same school for probably his biggest game. A win on Friday night will advance the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff championship game.