AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers figured his football career had always been in such a rush that it was time to slow down.

Enjoy the spring. Enjoy the 2024 season, and Texas’ move into the Southeastern Conference. The NFL, which is still his goal and dream, can wait a year. And the payoff could be even bigger.

Texas, which made its first appearance in the College Football Playoff last season, concludes spring practice this week with an eye on Ewers leading the Longhorns into the SEC. The Longhorns’ annual spring scrimmage is scheduled for Saturday, unless bad weather bad weather in the forecast cancels it.

Not that he didn’t consider leaving. It took more than a week after last season’s playoff loss to Washington before Ewers announced he would return instead of turning pro.

“I feel like I’ve been rushing my entire life, so just take a year, slow it down and not rush things,” Ewers said in March in his only media availability of the spring. “I skipped my senior year (of high school), that went by fast. I was at Ohio State for a semester, so it all went by fast also. So just take my time throughout the whole process and enjoy being here and just being present and not looking too far forward.”