What does Colin Cowherd know?
A lot — apparently.
It was only a few days ago that FS1 star and host of The Herd claimed there were “rumors” that Notre Dame might be in the portal for a quarterback. Cowherd caught himself, smirking as he nearly revealed [insert name], a quarterback at the college level who many of us have seen play for a big program.
“I won’t give that away yet, but don’t be surprised if a very, very well-known college quarterback transfers to Notre Dame once the Playoffs [end],” he said.
Woah what pic.twitter.com/eooTem1HfW
— ND Insider (@insider_nd) December 29, 2024
The Fighting Irish are currently among the eight teams still remaining in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff and they’ll need a quarterback once Riley Leonard officially declares. Of course, there remains the possibility that Notre Dame could entertain an open quarterback competition between CJ Carr, Kenny Minchey, and Steve Angeli.
That said, the Irish have never been above adding a quarterback from the portal. Marcus Freeman has landed Leonard (Duke) and Sam Hartman (Wake Forest), so what’s one more, especially with Cowherd, of all people, theorizing that Notre Dame has its eyes set on a “very well-known college quarterback.”
Who could it be?
Cade Klubnik announced he’s returning to Clemson.
Georgia’s Carson Beck just declared for the NFL Draft, though he was criticized for doing so.
Ohio State’s Will Howard and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel are out of eligibility.
Drew Allar announced his intentions to return to Penn State.
That leaves us with Jalen Milroe and Quinn Ewers.
Alabama isn’t in the Playoff, but Milroe certainly fits the category. Ewers is much more practical, though, as referenced by a recent report that ties him to tampering. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, tampering is at an all-time high with the Longhorns’ quarterback, and he’s even received a $6 million offer to return to college football for another season and, in turn, enter the portal as he makes way for Arch Manning in Austin.
NEW: Tampering is at an all-time high with Texas QB Quinn Ewers, @PeteNakos_ reports.
Ewers has received a $6M offer to return to College Football and enter the Transfer Portal💰https://t.co/C2RygCy4Bg pic.twitter.com/OYd1cMunt1
— On3 (@On3sports) December 31, 2024
So, what did Cowherd know, and when did he learn it?
It wouldn’t be entirely truthful to write, ‘Colin Cowherd teases Quinn Ewers to Notre Dame,’ but there’s enough here to suggest at least that where there’s smoke, there might be a fire. That’s not to say that the quarterback that Cowherd was hinting at is, indeed, Ewers, but he absolutely fits the bill.
So, let’s say that Cowherd was hinting at Ewers — it’s admittedly still a longshot.
The Fighting Irish would need to navigate a crowded NIL marketplace, fend off other potential suitors, and convince Ewers that South Bend is the right destination for his development and NFL aspirations. But given Marcus Freeman’s track record of luring big-name transfers, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
Cowherd’s track record may be spotty, but his access to sources makes this rumor worth watching—whether Notre Dame lands a “very, very well-known college quarterback” or not.
[ND Insider, On3]
