Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers has been named to the preseason Manning Award Watch List for the second season, which honors the nation’s top collegiate quarterback. It is the only award that takes candidates’ bowl performances into account.

Should Ewers win the award, he would join Vince Young and Colt McCoy as the only Longhorns to take home the honor.

Ewers is entering his fourth year in college and third in Austin, amassing over 5600 yards and 37 touchdowns in his two seasons as a starter. The quarterback was likely not a top option for last year’s award, but the gunslinger had a strong 2023 where he led Texas to a Big 12 Championship, a college football playoff apperaance, and more passing yards per game than all but eight power five quarterbacks.

Ewers, however, is firmly in the running for the award in 2024. DraftKings Sportsbook has Ewers as the third-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy, something LSU’s Jayden Daniels did last year when he won the Manning Award. Of the eight quarterbacks mentioned who had more passing yards per game than Ewers in 2023, just three remain in college football, and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is the only one who stayed with the same program.

In adjusted yards per passing attempt, a stat that weighs touchdowns and interceptions to give each passing attempt a quarterback makes into a yardage value, Ewers is just one of nine returning power five quarterbacks to be north of nine, a number usually used to cut off the best passer in the nation. Ewers also threw the second most passes of that group, meaning players like Alabama’s Jalen Milroe could see some regression with more attempted passes.

Another factor in Ewers’ favor is a potential lack of an elite running game after the injury of CJ Baxter. Though Baxter’s season-ending LCL injury is a huge loss for the Longhorns, it does help Ewers in working towards awards like the Manning or Heisman. Sarkisian will ask Ewers to make more big-time throws than before with the lack of running back depth on the squad, and his collection of new pass-catchers is sure to keep him near the top of many passing metrics.

The State Fair of Texas’ planned gun ban would help ensure fairgoers’ safety, boost law enforcement’s ability to respond to problems and encourage more people to attend a great annual event.

So, of course, our ethically challenged attorney general is opposing it. We say to city leaders and leaders of the State Fair: Please take Paxton to court because this fight is worth it, not only for our wonderful fair but for all Texans who want safe public spaces.

This newspaper has long supported the Second Amendment right to own firearms. Responsible gun ownership deserves fierce legal protection against those who would see that right removed.

But no right is absolute, and that is how Texas conservatives like Ken Paxton have treated gun ownership. The State Fair is the sort of place where personal guns don’t belong.

There is a long tradition of such limitations. Guns aren’t allowed at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Dallas Cowboys games, Six Flags and many other public settings. There’s no good reason for a non-peace officer to be carrying a gun at the fair, a family-friendly event expected to draw 2 million visitors.

Fair officials announced the new policy last week, saying that it was no longer allowing licensed gun owners to carry their weapons into the park. Previously the fair prohibited guns with the exception of people with a valid handgun license, provided the gun was concealed.

This commonsense change was prompted in large part by last year’s shooting in the fair’s food court. Three people were injured in a scary incident reminiscent of a 1988 shooting that killed one person and injured three others, including a police officer.

Fair officials have rightly prioritized safety above everything else at the fair since that terrible day. Last year’s shooting was the first at the fair since then, and fair officials have once again enhanced their security plan.

You’d think our state elected officials would applaud and support this effort. Instead, dozens of Republican lawmakers immediately clapped back against the fair’s new gun ban, saying it runs afoul of the Second Amendment.

They falsely say that a gun ban would make patrons more vulnerable to crime. Well, the criminals can’t bring their guns either, and the fair is teeming with trained police who do a great job keeping it safe.

Paxton argues that this ban violates state law allowing firearms on government property. But clearly there are many sensible exceptions to that. Schools. Courthouses. The Dallas Zoo, which like Fair Park is owned by the city but managed by a private nonprofit, also does not allow guns on its grounds. And how about the stadiums in Arlington? The State Fair is no different.

Paxton is an extremist whose views on long-established gun restrictions — the sort that have been in place since the days of the Wild West, by the way — are out of line with most Texans.

He has ordered the city of Dallas to change the gun ban policy within 15 days or he’ll “see them in court.” His bullying needs an answer, and it should be “We’ll see you there.”

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com

Once all the Texas high school football state champions were crowned last December, SBLive then went to work choosing the top players in the state.

We subsequently released all-region teams for each of the state’s six regions, from North Texas to East Texas, to Southeast Texas, West Texas and South Texas. And of course, Central Texas.

The SBLive all-Central Texas team for 2023 was compiled by our SBLive correspondent, Ryan Childers.

>> Charting Vandegrift’s rise to Texas high school football power: ‘Tradition really matters’

Now, with the upcoming season fast approaching, we’re taking a look at the top returners in Central Texas.

Here is every SBLive all-Central Texas honoree returning in Texas this fall:

ALL-CENTRAL TEXAS SELECTIONS RETURNING IN 2024

Award winners

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Chad Warner, QB, Cibolo-Steele, sr.

As a junior, the Knights’ gunslinger led his team to a 6A Division II state semifinal appearance and a District 27 championship. Warner – who recently committed to UTEP – had a great year under center for the Knights, tossing 36 passing touchdowns and threw for 3,547 yards, while setting eight different school records in the process. He also added five touchdowns with his feet and 204 rushing yards.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Bradley Sowersby, RB, Smithson Valley, sr.

The Ranger running back made a name for himself as one of the top backs in the area. As the lead back for the Smithson Valley offense, Sowersby racked up 1,134 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns in 2023 while averaging over six yards per carry. He helped his Rangers reach the Class 5A Division I state championship for the first time in 20 years.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Hank Hendrix, QB, Boerne, soph.

As a freshman, Hendrix came in relief for the injured junior Jaxon Baize and helped lead Boerne to a second consecutive district championship. Hendrix accounted for 1,586 yards and tossed 18 touchdowns to just one interception.

FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE

Cole Pryor, RB, San Antonio Reagan, sr.

Pryor propelled the Rattlers offense all season long, finishing with 1,556 rushing yards and 23 total touchdowns, and will be back for one more round this season. 

Jalen Cooper, WR, Cibolo-Steele, sr.

Cooper set the record for touchdown receptions in the state last year, hauling in 23 TDs on 63 total receptions and totaled 1,578 receiving yards to help Steele sweep to a District 27-6A title and 6A Division II state semifinal appearance.

Logan Schram, OL, Boerne, sr.

Schram is the leader on an offensive line nicknamed ‘The Great Wall of Boerne.’ He will be a four-year starter on varsity, and has yet to allow a sack in the previous three years. He holds multiple FBS offers and helped the Greyhounds rush for 2,369 yards this season.

DEFENSE

Hudson Woods, DE, Smithson Valley, jr.

As a sophomore, Woods burst onto the scene by helping lead the Rangers to the state finals. On the season, the sophomore totaled 67 tackles with 14 sacks, 16 QB hurries, three forced fumbles, and 29 tackles for a loss.

Elliot Schaper, LB, Austin Westlake, sr.

A Duke commit, Schaper was named District 26-6A Defensive MVP. He tallied 108 tackles (13 for loss), nine sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.

>> How Austin Westlake, national high school football power, prepares for another photo finish

SPECIAL TEAMS

Michael Terry, ATH, Alamo Heights, jr.

The do-it-all four-star athlete for the Mules never leaves the field and stars as quarterback, running back, receiver, returner, and as a defensive back. Offensively last season, he tallied 1,531 all-purpose yards and 31 total touchdowns, while defensively he had 15 tackles with one pick-six.

SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE

Cody Stoever, QB, Wimberley, sr.

4,577 total yards and 73 total touchdowns

DEFENSE

Connor Vasek, DE, Austin Westlake, sr.

27 tackles, three sacks.

Braden Bays, DT, Boerne, sr.

53 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 8 QB hurries.

Braylen Wortham, DB, College Station, sr.

8 interceptions.

Peyton Matthews, ATH, San Antonio Harlan, jr. 

1,223 all-purpose yards, 13 TDs.

Ty Bush, P, Boerne, sr.

20 punts, 38-yard average, 50-yard long, 8 punts pinned inside the 20 yard line.

HONORABLE MENTION

Jax Brown, QB, Pflugerville Weiss, sr.

Lorenn Johnson, RB, San Antonio Johnson, sr.

Brooks Perez, WR, Boerne, sr.

Jack Tyndall, RB, Dripping Springs, sr.

Jonathan Hatton, RB, Cibolo-Steele, jr.

Colton Chmelar, K, A&M Consolidated, sr.

Reece Dietrick, QB, New Braunfels Canyon, sr.

Barrett Fallon, RB, San Antonio Davenport, jr.

Isaiah Champagne, WR, San Antonio Pieper, sr.

Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveTX